Grand Opening of Best Friends Adoption and Spay/Neuter Center in Los Angeles

Doors opened today (February 16, 2012) on a new era for Los Angeles dogs and cats as L.A. dignitaries, politicians, celebrities and animal lovers celebrated the grand opening of Best Friends Animal Society's new Pet Adoption and Spay/Neuter Center in Mission Hills. Located at 15321 Brand Boulevard, the 44,000-square-foot facility was formerly the Northeast Valley Animal Shelter but never opened due to staff and budget issues. By operating a high-volume adoption and spay/neuter center, Best Friends is taking the lead in helping to end the euthanasia of roughly 20,000 animals a year in Los Angeles. The City Council granted Best Friends permission to work out of the facility, which was constructed in 2007. Festivities included speeches, a ribbon-cutting ceremony, entertainment, and an opportunity for visitors to tour the facility. Celebrities and dignitaries came out in support of the project. Best Friends heads a coalition of more than 37 local animal rescues and shelters helping Los Angeles achieve no-kill status, meaning that a system will be in place to help stray animals get adopted, while solving the dog and cat overpopulation problem. The plan will increase shelter adoptions through a subsidy program combined with targeted spay/neuter efforts for low-income residents. First-year goals include an additional 3,000 adoptions and 6,000 spay/neuter surgeries. Best Friends encourages residents to join the effort by fixing their pets and adopting from shelters.

Best Friends Animal Society is a nonprofit organization building no-kill programs and partnerships that will bring about a day when there are No More Homeless Pets®. At the core of Best Friends' work is the dream that one day kindness will replace cruelty and animals will no longer be destroyed because they are unwanted or imperfect. Spaying and neutering will be the rule for all pets and adoption will be the first option for everyone. Making this dream a reality is the mission we call No More Homeless Pets. The society's leading initiatives in animal care and community programs are coordinated from its Kanab, Utah, headquarters, the country's largest no-kill sanctuary. This work is made possible by the personal and financial support of a grassroots network of supporters and community partners across the nation. For more information, visit .