by Noella Noelophile®
“Dante” was going home.
Applause greeted this announcement from Long Beach Chief Inspiration Officer Justin Rudd, just outside Long Beach Animal Care Services on Saturday.
The fifteenth annual “Operation Santa Paws” was just about to start.
Volunteers had brought treats, toys, cleaning supplies and all kinds of other items from the Operation Santa Paws “wish list”, to donate to the four animal shelters they’d visit that day.
More than anything, though, they were there to spend time with the animals.
And who could resist a cute kitty like Dante, who had just been adopted and was going to his forever home?
But then, it was back to business. And the “business”, was bringing joy to abandoned and abused animals.
“Talk to them, spend time with them, sing a Christmas song,” Justin suggested as he briefed the volunteers.
He then covered some ground rules: each volunteer could take four treats, and choose four special dogs to which he or she could give one. Too many treats, Justin warned, and the animals, who weren’t used to them, could wind up with a decidedly un-Christmasy upset stomach.
Volunteers for the fifteenth annual “Operation Santa Paws” would donate time and supplies to Long Beach Animal Care Services, Long Beach SPCLA, Seal Beach Animal Care Center and Orange County Animal Care Services. 
Sadly, not all these animals will be here by Christmas if they’re not adopted. 
Although ASPCLA has an adoption rate of more than eighty percent, they are not a “no-kill” shelter, due to the sheer volume of abused and abandoned animals Long Beach Animal Care Services receives.
We watched more than a few people fall in love on Saturday. (Not that we did or anything, ahem.)
Look at those eyes!
And yes–there were some rabbits available! Along with facts about the bunnies. Snuggly as they look, rabbits don’t really like to be picked up or held, according to a sign on their cage. They also make better pets for adults than for children.
Of all the animals we saw at Long Beach Animal Care Services, though, the one that haunts us is “Pluto”.
Like all the other dogs, Pluto was near the door of his cage, inspecting the people.
Unlike many of the others, he’d had some heartbreaking experiences.
In Seal Beach, later that afternoon…
…this kitty purred so loudly through her cage that we were severely tempted.
Seal Beach Animal Care Center is a no-kill shelter.
However, they do have this “catveat”.
We loved their “cat house”, with rooms for the cats and “nurseries” of kittens.
And this friendly seven-month-old, “Georgie”, had a chance to get acquainted with visitors who just might be ready to add a new, four-footed family member.
Currently, there are no figures on the number of pet adoptions that have resulted from “Operation Santa Paws” since Justin started it in 2001.
However, some things can’t be measured in numbers.
Thinking of getting a pet for Christmas? Please consider adopting an animal if you are able to make a long-term commitment. Cats can live fifteen years or longer (if you’re lucky!), while dogs’ lifespans, depending on the size and breed, can range from seven to eleven years. Here are adoption links for SPCLA, Seal Beach Animal Care Center and OC Animal Care Adopt-a-Pet.