CLEMENCY FOR DOGS, CATS; VALLEY PROGRAM TO GIVE STRAYS BETTER CHANCE AT LIFE.

Byline: Harrison Sheppard Staff Writer

In an ambitious move to save the lives of thousands of stray dogs and cats, city officials said they will work with animal activists to find homes for every adoptable pet brought to the pound.

Across Los Angeles, more than 45,000 dogs and cats were put to death last year, city officials said.

At the East Valley Animal Shelter, one of six run by the city, dozens of cats sit waiting in cages to be put to sleep if not adopted within days.

On Saturday, Studio City resident Brian Grant stopped in to adopt two lucky kittens.

``It's terrible the way people abandon their animals and they have to be killed,'' he said. ``Maybe the city could expand it's shelters to be able to keep animals longer, but there are so many animals it doesn't seem likely they would all be adopted anyway.''

Now that may change: The Department of Animal Services's new program relies heavily on the public and animal rescue groups, which hope to recruit at least 100 volunteers to hold open houses and educational seminars to encourage adoption and proper care of animals.

``We're committed to life,'' said Dan Knapp, general manager of the Los Angeles Department of Animal Services.

``Shelters have been perceived as places of death and the Department of Animal Services is committed to life,'' Knapp said. ``We're going to be doing all that we can to place 100 percent of adoptable animals.''

The city will launch its novel program on a trial basis at the East Valley Animal Shelter in North Hollywood, the second-busiest shelter in Los Angeles. Officials hope to expand the program to the city's five other shelters and to all types of animals, including horses and birds. No date has been set for its start.

Faced with a severe overpopulation of dogs and cats, the city's six shelters kill animals sometimes after only a week or two to make room for the new strays. At East Valley, for example, only 48 percent of the adoptable animals - those that are not sick or vicious - are adopted.

The rest are euthanized.

Working with volunteer animal rescue groups, the department plans to make East Valley a ``life-oriented'' shelter that finds homes for all adoptable dogs and cats.

Knapp said the program will include making monthly reports to the community on how many animals are killed and problems the department is facing.

The department also is evaluating whether to expand the hours of the shelters, which are now open 8 a.m to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

Knapp said he knows the program has ambitious goals, but he said it has been achieved in other cities, including San Francisco.

``If you don't make a commitment, you'll never get there,'' Knapp said. ``We're calling it the beginning of our journey.''

New Leash On Life is one of the first animal rescue groups working with the city.

``What we're going to try to do is bring a lot of awareness to the shelter system, that the shelter is not a bad place,'' said Kelly Dwyer, operations director for New Leash. ``If you're looking for a pet or a companion, that's the place to go.''

The city's six shelters received more than 46,000 dogs and 19,000 cats during the last fiscal year, Knapp said. About 70 percent of those were euthanized, although he said that figure may be misleading because only a third of the animals that come in are considered adoptable. An additional 44,000 stray dogs are believed to be wandering the streets.

A new state law which took effect July 1 seeks to improve the care of animals in shelters and increase the amount of time they are held before being euthanized. Shelters now must hold animals for four days if the facility has night or weekend hours and six days if it doesn't.

However, animal activists say the law has had the unintended consequence of causing the earlier death of healthy animals, to make room for sick ones that must receive care. That makes the need for the life-oriented program that much greater, they say.

The law, sponsored by Sen. Tom Hayden, D-Los Angeles, also encourages partnerships with private animal rescue groups. A spokesman for Hayden was glad to hear of the city's new efforts.

``I think that's a start. It should be encouraged,'' said Hayden spokesman Rocky Rushing. Previously, ``In Los Angeles, I think the term `animal shelter' was being misused because they were more like death centers.''

Other cities succeed

San Francisco embarked on a ``low-kill'' policy several years ago that has the city Department of Animal Care and Control working with the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals to find homes for the animals.

The organization has greater resources and funding, and is therefore more capable to find homes for the animals, said Vicky Guldbech, the department's captain of field services.

In fiscal year 1998, San Francisco's shelters took in 14,590 animals and euthanized about a third of those, but only 392 of those euthanized were considered adoptable, according to Guldbech.

Animal activists attribute the change in Los Angeles policy to the hiring of Knapp a year ago, saying he has brought a more cooperative and animal-friendly attitude to the department, stemming from his background as former director of the Humane Society of Sonoma County.

``We want to go to the shelters with more positive attitudes and work with them,'' said New Leash on Life founder Bobby Dorafshar, who worked with Knapp to create the program.

``And the most important thing out of this is that they want to work with us as well,'' Dorafshar said.

The department's budget was boosted this year to $10.3 million, a $2.3 million increase, Knapp said, allowing it to hire additional medical and animal care staff. The city has also authorized a facility study to evaluate the need for additional shelters.

Public participation

While the details of the program are not expected to be made final for several weeks, orDorafshar said he has a number of ideas for his group to pursue. Among them:

Weekly seminars to teach people how to take care of their animals. This, he hopes, would make them less likely to give up their animals for adoption because of behavioral problems, as well as prompt more owners to spay or neuter their pets.

Expanded efforts to match animals with people looking for certain breeds, as well as link lost pets with their owners.

Inviting schools to shelters to teach children about animal care.

Trying to curtail backyard breeding and encouraging people to adopt instead.

Making the shelters seem a more welcoming, people-friendly place by staffing them with more volunteers.

CAPTION(S):

2 Photos

Photo: (1--Color) This stray dog, showing a little affection to an animal shelter volunteer, is one of the lucky ones. A family has decided to adopt it. Once a new program starts at the East Valley Animal Shelter. City employees will work with animal activists to find homes for every adoptable pet brought to the pound.

(2) Sean and Natasha Dye, 6, look at cages of kittens during their search for a pet at the East Valley Animal Shelter in North Hollywood.

Andy Holzman/Staff Photographer