Most people just want to pet the doggies. They reach over the wire fence and scratch a furry head or two, but can’t consider adopting one right now. The Much Love volunteers working at the mobile pet adoption smile and ask the visitors to spread the word to their petless friends. But occasionally, someone will actually fill out an application to take a dog or cat home, and that makes it all worthwhile.
Much Love Animal Rescue holds these adoptions every weekend. On Saturdays they’re in Venice, and on Sundays, Santa Monica. They have no permanent facility, so they carry what they need in a white van. To begin each adoption, the volunteers put up tents, fence in a dog run and set out cages in an empty parking lot. Foster parents drop off their temporary pets, hoping that today, they’ll find a forever home. In the afternoon, the fosters return to pick up their houseguests. The volunteers efficiently take down the whole set-up and stash it in the back of the van. They’ve been doing it for eleven years.
Back in 1999, Niki Wior was working in downtown L.A. as a swimsuit designer. She kept encountering stray animals, which she dutifully took to the nearest shelter. But city shelters are continually overwhelmed and euthanize thousands of would-be pets each year. Niki decided to start a rescue. She attended a “how to” seminar at the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Utah, then returned home and got started. She could only take on a few dogs at first, bringing them to local dog parks on the weekend to seek out new owners. She set up Much Love as a 501c3 non-profit. Friends and family joined her efforts. Volunteers started to sign up. By 2010, the group had rescued over 3,000 animals from L.A. shelters and found them homes.
Currently, there are thirty-one dogs and seven cats in Much Love’s care. When a few are adopted, it’s time for another shelter run. Senior volunteers visit a shelter with a high kill rate and look for animals to save. They try to find “adoptable” dogs and cats, neither too shy nor too aggressive. The faster they can find a home for one, the sooner they’ll be back to rescue more. The volunteers name the new animals, usually with a theme for the group. A recent bunch of dogs pulled near St. Patrick’s day were named Blarney, Dublin, Pub, Kilt, Celtic, Corned Beef and Cabbage.
All of the animals go to the vet for a checkup and are quarantined for ten days. They’re spayed or neutered and implanted with a microchip before they’re ready for their first adoption. Assuming, of course, that the vet finds no medical problems, which isn’t always the case. There’s also the occasional animal at the shelter who is obviously hurt or sick, but the volunteers just can’t resist. They recently pulled an adorable puppy called Hoppa, who couldn’t use his back legs properly. His neurology exam, MRI and physical therapy added up to over $4,000. Hoppa was adopted in October.
During the week, the dogs and cats live in foster homes or board at kennels. Their pictures and stories are posted on the Much Love website and on Petfinder. Every weekend, they obediently go to the adoptions to give potential owners the chance to fall in love. When someone wants to adopt, the Much Lovers need to be sure it’s the right match. First comes the three page application. Questions range from “how will you clean your dog’s teeth?” to “how much is too much to pay for veterinary care?” Hint – the correct answer to that last one is “there’s no limit.”
If the application looks good, the prospective owner must schedule a home check. A volunteer looks for obvious hazards and asks any remaining questions. After a successful home check,Much Love collects an adoption fee of $200 for dogs and $175 for cats. And, no, that doesn’t come close to covering the medical and boarding expenses the group incurs. The owner signs a contract, taking legal responsibility for the new pet and they go home together. Much Love offers a free session with a dog trainer to ensure a smooth transition. People can, of course, pick a new name for the adoptee, although ‘Dublin’ is a pretty cute one. In the rare case when a home and pet just don’t fit, Much Love will always take the animal back.
Niki ultimately had to step back from the group to focus on her career and new baby. There’s now a five member Board of Directors to keep things running smoothly. Much Love even has its first paid employee, Christine de Vera, who tracks each animal’s progress, bills and paperwork. To raise enough money to survive, the group holds fundraisers, such as the recent star-studded Propel Zero/Cindy Crawford event in Malibu. They also sell clothing, holiday cards and a variety of merchandise at adoptions and on their website. After covering all animal-related expenses, some of this incomegoes toward the long-term goal of opening a Much Love facility.
From its one-woman start, Much Love has grown to more than 390 current volunteers, each one working to reduce the number of unwanted animals in shelters by promoting spay-neuter and responsible ownership and continuing to find good homes for the dogs and cats lucky enough to be rescued.
