Pets

Little Girl The owner of Little Girl, a Torti Point Persian, got a puppy at Christmas. The new arrival has made this beautiful cat very unhappy. The other family cat has accepted the dog, but 9-year-old Little Girl will need a new home. Little Girl has had a geriatric blood screening proving her to be in good health. She has very good house manners and does not scratch furniture. She will sit for hours on your lap or by your side. We are seeking a quiet home without other animals or small children.

PETUNIA AND HERCULES Petunia (pictured), a 4-month-old grey and white female, and her brown tabby brother, Hercules, were lucky to have been rescued and home-raised by their caregiver and her family. These sweet and friendly siblings are some of the many cats born in backyards around the county, causing the feral cat population to grow. The Community Animal Network is a community-supported animal organization linking people and pets through community action.

Samantha Samantha is a shelter rescue dog. She is living with a 90-year-old woman unable to handle a youthful dog wanting to play and needing to run. Samantha is a 1-year-old female Jindo mix called Sam by those who love her. Because Sam loves to play, we believe she will fit in well with an active family with kids. She loves to play fetch with sticks and tennis balls and is sweet-tempered, smart and eager to please. Community Animal Network believes strongly in microchip identification.

Newport Beach pair plan relief trip for next month, hope people will remember 2005's disaster in the new year. It's a new year of charitable giving, but a Newport Beach couple are hoping that philanthropists don't turn their backs on one of last year's biggest causes. Susan and Bill Groux are set to return to the New Orleans area during the first week of February as they continue relief work and fundraising for Hurricane Katrina victims. One of their main objectives on this trip is to help animals who have been abandoned since the storm hit in the fall.

Story by Young Chang; photo by Greg Fry HE IS Scarred for life FIXER UPPER Dan Resendez gets bitten and scratched by feisty pets who visit the Mesa West Pet Hospital in Costa Mesa. He doesn't mind, though. The veterinarian technician says he's used to it, because he considers a few scars here and there a small price to pay to keep animals healthy. When asked about his favorite part of the job, the 21-year-old Resendez said it's "helping animals that are really sick and bad off."

Jessica Brockett, 17, couldn’t bear to see five puppies and a kitten euthanized at a pound in Los Angeles, so she took a couple of friends up north to rescue them. The Corona del Mar High School student adopted all the pets, took them to see the veterinarian, cleaned them up and then started trying to find them homes. Along with her friends, Ian Lawson and Max Shack, she paraded them around the Balboa Peninsula and showed them off to interested passers-by. The puppies drew a lot of excited people, but no adoptions came of it, so the group started calling friends and friends of friends.

Deepa Bharath NEWPORT BEACH -- Coyotes are a problem once again, this time in a neighborhood far away from their natural local habitat, the Back Bay. Residents on San Bernardino Avenue, a street that adjoins Cliff Park by Cliff Drive, say they are afraid their pets or even children are going to be victims of coyotes that have been spotted frequently in the park or on the street over the last few weeks. Residents no longer feel safe taking their children to the park, said Dorothy Vogel, who spoke on behalf of her neighbors on San Bernardino Avenue.

Andrew Glazer FAIRGROUNDS -- Next to cockroaches, they're perhaps the most universally loathed creature on Earth. But representatives from two separate associations of rat lovers -- both showing dozens of breeds of the twitchy creatures at the Orange County Fair -- say the prejudice is unwarranted. "In Hollywood, they're generic bad guys like Nazis and drug dealers," said Pat Mullins, who lives in Harbor City and owns three pet rats. "But they're really nice pets."

Bonzai Bonzai is a big and lovable 100-pound 7-year-old black Labrador mix that has a great temperament. He needs a new home because the children around him grew up and left Bonzai with the parents who have moved to a small condo with an itty-bitty patio. We believe he deserves a home with some more space and with someone who would enjoy giving him lots of attention. The Community Animal Network is a community-supported animal organization linking people and pets through community action.

Newport joins effort to find homes for pets The Newport Beach Animal Shelter in Costa Mesa has joined Petfinder.com, an online database of homeless pets. More than 6,000 animal welfare organizations nationwide and in Canada post their pets on the website. The site features pets' photos and descriptions. Once visitors to the website find the pet they are interested in, they contact directly the shelter where it is housed. Neighbors will collaborate to clean The city of Costa Mesa, the Orange County Fairgrounds and the Volunteer Center of Orange County have collaborated to organize the Neighbors for Neighbors Community and Canyon Park Cleanup, scheduled for April 24. Neighbors for Neighbors was created by the city to help low-income residents beautify their homes and clean up their communities.