As SoCal fire evacuations expand, Pasadena Humane seeks pet foster families, donations

Pasadena Humane Society, one of the animal shelters that have opened for evacuees affected by the Eaton Fire, has accepted some 350 pets by Thursday morning since the fire broke out in Altadena.

The shelter has an emergency plan in place for fires and other disasters, but the speed, spread and ferocity of the Eaton Fire has simply caught them off-guard, said Kevin McManus, the public relations and communications manager for Pasadena Humane.

"All the animals that have come in have been in good health — no burn victims or anything like that, so that's a positive," McManus said.

But the shelter is being stretched to their capacity.

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"The fire is so devastating and so widespread so quickly, we have an emergency preparedness plan that, um, we have to just kind of make them a little bit bigger," he said.

Pet owners who have been evacuated from their homes from the Eaton Fire line up outside of Pasadena Humane Society on Wednesday morning.

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Fiona Ng

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LAist

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On Wednesday morning, about 50 people with their pets were lined up outside of the shelter on Raymond Avenue in Pasadena, and a number of cars were parked on both sides of the streets with pets and their owners inside.

Staff members were passing out forms for evacuees to fill out. One of them was  Sheila Kretzel, who lives around Loma Alta Park in Altadena. She and her pitbull CoCo were evacuated Tuesday night.

" I know I'll find a place that will take him," Kretzel said.

But what happens after is difficult to know.

"I  think my house is gone," she said.

Pasadena Humane's McManus said their facility has reached out to partners like ASPCA and CalAnimals for additional resources from shelter space to staff.

"Hopefully, by the end of today, we'll have some grasp on what other resources we can mobilize," McManus said.

How you can help

Currently, McManus said Pasadena Humane is reaching out to pet foster families on their list to see if they can foster dogs for a week or a longer period of time.

Fostering a pet

He said the shelter is currently looking for additional dog foster parents or families who live outside of the areas of fire threats.

• If you are interested, visit Pasadena Humane in person at 361 S. Raymond Ave., or visit them online or via email at foster@pasadenahumane.org

Donations

The shelter is also accepting monetary donations, as well as donations of large dog bowls, extra large dog crates and blankets.