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Take a ride to Idyllwild, and maybe bring home a new furry friend
The entrance to Living Free no-kill animal shelter in Mountain Center, California.
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Courtesy Sophia Dean
)
One of the nation’s oldest no-kill animal shelters will host a day of pet adoptions, live music and food vendors.
It’s part of Living Free Animal Sanctuary’s ongoing efforts to build community at their rural 15-acre facility near Idyllwild.
L.A. fires bring new residents
After the Eaton and Palisades fires broke out in January, Tony Di Zinno, facilities manager at Living Free, drove all the way from the small town of Mountain Center to the Pasadena Humane Society to see how he could help.
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Take a ride to Idyllwild, and maybe bring back a new furry member of your family
“Because of our own experiences of dealing with wildfires — we immediately were like, ‘We gotta do something to help the L.A. County area,’” Sophia Dean, executive director at Living Free, told LAist.
Esperanza
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Courtesy Sophia Dean
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One thing led to another and Di Zinno and team ended up bringing a dog, Esperanza, and kitten, Tommie, back to the shelter.
Tommie was set to be euthanized the day Living Free picked her up. But now that the pair have arrived at the tranquil ranch, they have a permanent respite until they find a new family to go home with, along with the more than 100 animals that are also hoping to be adopted.
Putting a spotlight on Living Free
Di Zinno and Dean said one of their goals with the sanctuary, tucked away in a small community in the San Jacinto Mountains, is to build community.
“A sanctuary is a place of gentility,” Di Zinno said. “When you come up... and you go through that front gate, the first sign you see says ‘Welcome to the gentle embrace of the sanctuary.’ And the last thing you see when you leave is ‘Be gentle to the next animal you meet,’” he said.
Di Zinno and Dean would like to spread that message to more visitors. Not only those looking to adopt a pet — they have 35 dogs and 82 cats — but also to people who just want to get a tour of the beautiful grounds on their trip to Idyllwild.
“We know how special this place is and we want others to come and enjoy it as well,” Dean said.
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The property at Living Free Animal Shelter in Mountain Center, CA
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Courtesy Sophia Dean
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Event details: Hoedown at Living Free
To that end, Living Free is hosting a Hoedown this Saturday. The event will feature live music, food vendors and plenty of dogs and cats to meet for adoption. Because the event also falls on California Adopt a Pet Day, adoption fees will be waived.
Saturday, June 7
Noon to 4 p.m.
54250 Keen Camp Rd., Mountain Center
Tickets are $10 and available here
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You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
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