Adoption

Amber Willard RANCHO DISTRICT -- More than 100 wild horses and burros gathered from herds in western states will be up for adoption this weekend. The animals will be available for viewing from noon to 5 p.m. Friday and from 7 a.m. Saturday at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center, 480 Riverside Drive. Bids for the mustangs and burros will be taken from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday, with registration at 8 a.m. Those animals not chosen in the morning will be available for adoption later in the day and from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.

Robert Blechl MEDIA CITY CENTER -- The dogs and cats behind the glass at Media City Center Mall aren't just for window shoppers. They're part of a pilot project, "Adopt-A-Pet for the Holidays," which will run from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Dec. 23, and from 9 a.m. to noon Christmas Eve. The adoption will operate every day. The program is sponsored by the city of Burbank, the Burbank Jaycees, Media City...

A new year may mean a new start for the critters at the Burbank Animal Shelter. Beginning this weekend, the shelter is expanding hours to be open on Sundays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. "We have the largest number of visitors on Saturdays and we hope Sunday will do the same for us," said shelter Supt. Brenda Castaneda. Sunday hours were recommended during an audit of the shelter's services two years ago and Castaneda has been working to meet the suggestions. "We will evaluate how Sunday hours have worked in July," Castaneda said.

FLOPSY & MOPSY Flopsy and Mopsy are 8-month-old spayed, short-haired rabbits. They are sisters and are very bonded with each other. These rabbits are sweet and well socialized. They entertain each other all day, making them an excellent adoption choice for a busy family. Their potential lifespan is 10 years. If you are interested in adopting Flopsy and Mopsy, call the Burbank Animal Shelter and give their identification numbers, A003447 and A003448. Adoption hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, closed Sundays and major holidays.

Kitten adoption fair coming this weekend The Burbank Animal Shelter will host its kitten adoption fair from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the shelter, 1150 Victory Place. All the kittens have been raised and cared for by the shelter?s Kitten Foster Care Program volunteers and are ready for immediate adoption. Because of an overwhelming number of kittens, the shelter needs people to take a kitten home more than ever this year, said Alisa Cunningham, a member of the shelter?

Because of a large stock of dogs recently seized by the Police Department in an alleged animal endangerment case, the Burbank Animal Shelter is offering dog adoptions for a fraction of its regular fees. Adoption fees for all dogs, which include spaying and neutering, have been decreased from $45 to $15 this month. The fee decrease was prompted by the seizure of 86 canines from a Burbank home last month. Those dogs, which are being kept at the now-full Burbank shelter and a private kennel, have been cleared for adoption, Animal Control Officer Florante Pagador said.

The City Council is slated to adopt a $149-million General Fund budget next week that includes $2.5 million in cuts and fee increases to various services. With the adjustments and a projected 1% increase in sales and property tax revenues, officials project a $4 million surplus in the fund that pays for most public services by the end of this coming fiscal year. The proposed budget tackles soaring employee pension costs with a one-time allocation of $9 million to help pay down the city's $252-million unfunded pension liability - a move that would save Burbank $720,000 each year, officials said.

After a year in the Burbank Animal Shelter, the Labrador-pit bull mix that taught utility workers how not to get bitten, has finally found a new home. Ironically, Hazel was given up by her owner last March after the dog reportedly didn't allow utility workers in her backyard. But officials said her friendly nature made her the perfect participant for bite prevention training sessions with Burbank Water and Power workers, helping to educate them on how to approach dogs while in the field.

The City Council did the right thing in voting to ban puppy mills in Burbank. It's not about being politically correct but about being humane and protecting the lives and well-being of innocent creatures. I understand the possible difficulties in adopting from shelters, but there are plenty of great organizations like the MuttShack Animal Rescue, which sponsors rescues of beautiful, loving animals at Petco almost every week. The minimal fees involved cover vaccinations and other medical checks the pets have already had, so they come to you healthy, loving and grateful.

Burbank this week joined the growing list of cities that have banned the retail sale of pets, but built in a six-month grace period for existing pet stores. Under the ban adopted by the City Council Tuesday, pet shops in Burbank can only obtain cats and dogs from animal shelters or rescues. During the six-month grace period, pet shops are required to obtain the animals from breeders licensed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and must post the name, address and license number of the breeder, as well as information on how the consumer could trace the animal's origin.

'Tis the season of giving - pets, apparently. Local animal shelters have experienced a spike in pet adoptions in recent days in Burbank and Pasadena, and many more were expected to occur this weekend. On Dec. 15, when the Burbank Animal Shelter welcomed people to adopt animals at a 50% discount, 25 animals - mostly cats and dogs and a few rabbits - were adopted, about double the typical volume. “They're hoping to maybe get an animal for their children,” said Brenda Castaneda, superintendent of the Burbank Animal Shelter.

Momentum is expected to build at a pet adoption event this weekend in support of a proposed ban on the sale of commercially bred dogs and cats in Burbank. The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday in the parking lot behind Handy Market, 2514 W. Magnolia Blvd., where organizers will gather signatures in support of an ordinance that's slated to go before the Burbank City Council on Aug. 28 that, if approved, would prohibit the sale of animals that come from puppy mills and other retail sources.

Just one look at Molly and Pica, and it's hard to believe that the inseparable pair of pooches was returned to the Burbank Animal Shelter after just three days. But their story, including that of a pit bull that was returned after just one day, should serve as cautionary tale for anyone whose eyes may be larger than their lifestyle. The life of a shelter dog is a - ahem - rough one. Thrust into a new environment surrounded by strange cellmates and an ever changing atmosphere, any semblance of a normal life, of routine, is quickly lost.

Two months after a nonprofit consulting firm issued its recommendations for turning around the struggling DeBell Golf Club, an oversight committee this week implemented some of those recommendations, which involve cost-cutting measures and course improvements. At a meeting on Wednesday, the golf subcommittee recommended shifting 14% of the cost associated with paying city staffers to oversee the course to the Burbank's General Fund. That could save DeBell $53,828 next fiscal year.

A pair of inseparable dogs were adopted last week from the Burbank Animal Shelter only to be returned three days later, prompting reminders from shelter staffers that especially when it comes to pets, patience is a virtue. Molly, a 12-year-old fox terrier, landed at the shelter with Pica, a two-year old Chihuahua-beagle mix. Their former owner gave them to the shelter months ago before entering the hospital. The pair has lived at the shelter for seven months, but they're not alone.

Hundreds of volunteers participated in a long-standing tradition Saturday to provide holiday baskets and gifts to families in need during the holidays. Burbank firefighters, one of many groups involved in the Coordinating Council's Holiday Basket Program, have dropped off baskets and gifts since at least 1979, Capt. Peter Hendrickson said. “We adopted 12 families this year,” Hendrickson said, adding that from about 7:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., firefighters delivered baskets with food and toiletries, among other items, to families across the city.