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How Pasadena Humane mobilized to take in pets and wildlife escaping the Eaton Fire
Tom Ratanavaraha, a volunteer for the past 15 years, gives a treat to a dog named Prince at Pasadena Humane, an animal shelter in Pasadena, on Jan. 10, 2025. Ratanavaraha remembered when Prince was adopted a year ago and recognized him when his owners dropped off the dog for a temporary stay after losing their home in the Eaton Fire.
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In the days since the Eaton Fire first began, Pasadena Humane has taken in more than 400 animals, including the kinds this nonprofit usually cares for — like dogs, cats, and bunnies — but also a number of unusual kinds.
“We had eight cockatoos come in. We’ve had goats come in. We had one family in Altadena that had a pony, and they walked the pony down from Altadena to our shelter,” said Dia DuVernet, president and CEO of Pasadena Humane, an animal care center safely located miles south of the destruction.
DuVernet said the initial surge of evacuees’ pets needing immediate, short-term shelter gave way in the following days to animals brought in by animal search and rescue teams. Some of the animals have the same kinds of injuries humans have when a wildfire tears through.
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“We’re seeing burns,” she said. “We’re seeing singed paws. We’re seeing singed whiskers. We’re seeing smoke inhalation problems. We had one dog come in that appeared to be a dark gray dog, and after we gave it a bath, we realized the dog was a white dog.”
Roxie, the originally white dog, recuperates from injuries sustained during the Eaton Fire on Jan. 10, 2025.
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Roxie, the white dog-turned-gray, recuperated in the intensive care unit but did not lift her head to greet human visitors. She lay on her bedding, exhausted and numb, her belly an angry pink from burns.
The search and rescue teams go out every day now, collecting injured wildlife but also pets left behind when the Eaton fire began, and people fled in a panicked rush.
“We think there will be some animals that miraculously survived,” DuVernet said. “Especially cats.”
A kitten, found with its mother and siblings after the wildfire, drinks water at Pasadena Humane in Pasadena on Jan. 10, 2025.
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Every animal, dead or alive, is scanned for microchips containing contact information for the owners. Pasadena Humane’s chief veterinarian, Dr. Maria Pyrdek, said microchipping is among the short list of “musts” for pet owners who want their animals to survive any type of natural disaster.
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“Make sure you have ID. Make sure your pet is vaccinated so that when they’re coming into large, stressful situations, they also will not be at risk of getting diseased as well,” Dr. Pyrdek said.
Pasadena Humane has 150 employees, including five full-time veterinarians, working around the clock. Since the Eaton fire began, scores of volunteers have also turned up to help.
Volunteers greeted people pulling up in their vehicles to donate food, bowls, blankets, carriers, and so on and then sorted through the items as they piled up in the courtyard.
“I just felt that I need to help in some way,” said Connor McPherson of Pasadena, who has a chihuahua terrier mix of his own at home.
Over the course of the next few weeks, some evacuees will come back to claim their pets. Others will have to rely on Pasadena Humane to hold on to their loved ones until things are sorted out. Still, other animals will need new homes.
If you’re reading this and thinking about donating kibble or other items, consider sending money instead. Right now, animal rescuers say, the immediate need is for medicines and unusual food supplies.
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