By Janet McAfee
It was June 24, 2024 and the Petco store on Jackson Street in Indio was about to close for the day. An employee went to lock up the front door and discovered 6 brown puppies abandoned outside. They were friendly, appeared well fed, but clearly purposefully discarded. There is a serious lack of spay and neuter services combined with the rising cost of veterinary care, many litters of dogs and cats were born this year without the prospect of a loving home.
A Petco manager contacted Loving All Animals, a private shelter in Coachella, as LAA is one of their rescue partners holding adoption events at their Palm Desert location. The brown puppies were quickly transported to a location where they would receive food, veterinary care, training, and socialization from staff and volunteers.
A veterinarian determined the young animals were fairly healthy and just over 2 months old. Bonded by sibling love, they happily played together in one of the large shelter yards. The 3 females and 3 males were vaccinated, microchipped, spayed and neutered to prepare them for adoption.
It was the long hot summer of 2024. Scalding temperatures kept many residents from venturing out for shopping trips, dinners in restaurants, and trips to shelters to adopt a new dog. The dogs grew bigger and started to resemble medium size mix breed Shepherds. Nothing is known about their parentage. The phones rang at LAA from callers seeking to relinquish animals and others who brought in strays from the hot streets but can’t keep them. Outdoor adoption events were out of the question due to the weather.
The prospective adopters who called and visiting the shelter sought small animals. The Coachella Valley has a lot of seniors who believe small dogs are easier to handle (not always true). Other residents are snowbirds or retirees who travel a lot and need a dog small enough to travel in an airline passenger compartment. Apartment dwellers who came to look at dogs were restricted by landlord size requirements. The Petco litter grew larger, and larger rescue dogs take longer to adopt.
Loving All Animals now contracts with Valerie Masi with Best Paws Forward to provide training for their shelters dogs and training assistance as needed to their adopters. Phoebe pictured here is one of Valerie’s star students in the behavior training class. Val reports she is eager to please and quickly learns commands.
Fall 2024 arrived, and the 3 male pups happily went to great homes! My good friends Joan and Frank adopted Curly, now named Mark. They confirmed how loving, smart, and eager to please the Petco pups are. Rhonda recently went to a foster home where she is doing well, house trained quickly, and loves the other dogs.
Phoebe pictured here is sweet, reserved, and playful. She is thrilled when a human arrives to visit, hoping she will get to go home like her brothers did. Now 8 months old, she has the spirit of an “old soul”, wise and calm. Phoebe loves going to the shelter’s agility class on Saturday morning when there are enough volunteers to include her. She weighs approximately 35 pounds and may now be close to full grown as a medium size dog.
Phoebe would make a great loyal protector for a family. A retired couple with lots of time for a dog would make Phoebe happy. She would like a home with a yard where she can run and play. A dog of Phoebe’s breed and size inside your home will deter prospective thieves and prevent break-ins. She will graciously welcome your friends and family when they visit. She will be happy to have a new sister or brother pup in her forever home.
Call Loving All Animals at (760) 834-7000 with any questions and make an appointment to meet Phoebe. If you live with other people or other dogs, include them in the visit. Phoebe waits, not giving up hope she will be in a loving home soon in the New Year 2025.
