Los Angeles, October 28, 2022 – Get ready for a rockin’ good time as  LA Animal Services will be hosting our first ever Playgroup Rock Star Adoption Event at the Chesterfield Square/South LA shelter this Saturday, October 29 from 9am to 5pm. Meet adoptable canine companions who are ready for their new homes, and watch them run and play in the yards showing adopters their amazing personalities and skills! The LA Chargers and Lazy Dog Restaurants will cover the first 30 dog adoption fees at the onsite event. Adoption fees for dogs are $51 and $75 for puppies, not including the $20 license fee for dogs for LA City residents. 

These playgroup rock stars are the dogs who have been participating in the enrichment program led by Dogs Playing for Life (DPFL), which launched last month at the Chesterfield/South LA shelter thanks to a partnership with Wallis Annenberg Petspace. DPFL is one of the nation’s most respected and progressive dog behavior programs in the nation, with a mission to enhance the quality of life of shelter dogs to increase life-saving. DPFL has proven metrics on the life-saving benefits of “playgroups” for kenneled animals, and on the methods for training staff and volunteers in establishing and conducting these ongoing enrichment activities.

“We are so excited for our first Rock Star Playgroup adoption event,” said Annette Ramirez, Interim General Manager for LA Animal Services. “We have an abundance of pets who are ready to go home with you, especially dogs, so what better way to show off our wonderful dogs and their personalities than by having a playgroup full of rock stars.” 

To encourage pet adoption, LA Animal Services will be offering reduced adoption fees at all six of our LA Animal Services Centers on Saturday, October 29 and Sunday, October 30, Adoption fees for dogs will be $51, and $75 for puppies, which does not include the $20 licensing fee for dogs older than four months. Adoption fees for cats and kittens will be waived thanks to a generous donation from the ASPCA. Our six locations are open on the weekends with no appointments needed, from 11am to 5pm.

Dogs and cats adopted from LA Animal Services join their new families already spayed or neutered, vaccinated, licensed, and microchipped, and adopters receive a VCA Healthy Start Certificate, which provides up to $250 of follow up veterinary care within the first 14 days of adoption. In addition, canine companions adopted from LA Animal Services are also eligible for free dog training classes at the Paws for Life K9 Rescue People & Pet Innovation Center in Mission Hills, CA. Contact [email protected] for more details. You can view the wonderful dogs, cats, rabbits, and pocket pets who are ready to meet you and who are available for adoption in our Centers by going to laanimalservices.com/adopt.

Share on Social

We’re encouraging pet lovers to snap a pic of their furry friends to celebrate  ‘Adopt a Shelter Dog’ month and share your pet’s photo on social media by tagging us and using the hashtags #AdoptAShelterDog #LAAnimalServices #LACityPets!

Can't Adopt - You Can Still Help

• Shelter-at-Home provides temporary shelter for lost pets in your neighborhood while posting flyers or posting the pet’s info on social media, e.g. Nextdoor, LA Animal Services Lost and Found Facebook page, Pawboost.
• Home-to-Home is a resource to help pet owners find a new home for their furry friend without taking them to a shelter.
• Donate and make a difference to help pets in LA.
• Share posts of pets available for adoption on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Nextdoor.
• Volunteer and make a difference in the lives of animals in our care.

Center Operating Hours

Our six LA Animal Services locations are open on Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 8am to 5pm, and Saturdays and Sundays, from 11am to 5pm. Appointments are required on Wednesdays and Fridays, for pet adoptions, fostering, and owner surrenders, with our Centers closed on Mondays. Sick or injured animals will be admitted without an appointment. Appointments may be scheduled by going online or by calling 1-888-452-7381.

For more information about LA Animal Services, visit laanimalservices.com. 

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LA Animal Services promotes and protects the health, safety, and welfare of animals and the people who love them, and is one of the largest municipal shelter systems in the United States. With six Centers across the City, LA Animal Services serves approximately 60,000 animals annually and responds to 20,000 emergency calls involving animals or people in danger. LA Animal Services is part of the Human Animal Support Services (HASS) international coalition, joining 38 municipal shelters and animal welfare organizations across the country to reimagine and transform the way shelters care for animals and their families, by offering access to resources to help keep families together; getting lost pets home quickly without having to enter the shelter system; providing food and medical assistance; and continuing to build on a strong adoption and foster program so pets find their permanent homes or are placed in foster care. Visit our link.tree for helpful links to the services and resources available to you and your companion animals. Connect with LA Animal Services and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram.

Founded in 2015, Dogs Playing for Life has been redefining the meaning and importance of quality of life for all sheltered dogs by improving their experience through playgroups and individualized training, resulting in urgent and responsible lifesaving. Since inception, DPFL has introduced playgroups to 329 shelters and counting, who realize an average 6% increase in lifesaving and 38% decrease in length of stay for dogs. Shelters frequently describe DPFL programming as "game changing," "transformational," and "the most important thing to happen for shelter dogs." To find out more, visit www.dogsplayingforlife.org. 

Wallis Annenberg PetSpace is a unique community space featuring an interactive place for pet adoptions, an education center, and a leadership institute. PetSpace focuses squarely on the mutually beneficial and dynamic bond between people and their pets, as well as the origins and science of that relationship. To learn more, please visit annenbergpetspace.org.