By Mikaela STONE

On Wednesday, Jan. 8, a line of hundreds of exhausted people stood outside the Pasadena Humane Society with pet carriers, surrendering cats and dogs not welcome in their evacuation centers or hotels. When staff member Kevin McManus arrived on Thursday to the sight of an even longer line, he feared the Eaton Fire had claimed even more homes. To his surprise, volunteers and donors carrying pet supplies lined up around the block to help the hundreds of animals affected by the Eaton Fire. By the end of the day, the shelter’s parking lot was so full of animal food, cat litter, food bowls and other necessities it was unrecognizable as a parking lot. 

By the weekend, the Pasadena Humane Society had received 10,000 pet fostering applications and 7,000 volunteer applications from local and not-so-local animal lovers. Volunteers from Maui’s Humane Society arrived to give aid, repaying Pasadena’s shelter staff for its service during the Maui fires. Among the donors were a vet who came from Arizona, a volunteer from Long Beach who drove from Long Beach three times, and a woman from Irvine who had a truckload of animal supplies. 

Those who have been evacuated who need animal supplies can pick them up at the shelter. 

This outpouring of support is not only for the animals, but also for the people. One teacher from Eagle Rock arrived, offering to translate Spanish so everyone could receive the best care for their pets. A brewery from Beaumont, The Craft Lounge Taproom and Bottle Shop, dropped off cases of water for volunteers. Even a local book club, Girls Who Read, is helping the shelter with social media updates to the public. 

The Pasadena Humane Society will hold surrendered animals for 21 days before moving them into temporary foster homes – the goal is having people reclaim their pets once they are back on their feet. 

“We don’t want people to lose their family members as well as their homes,” McManus said. 

To help the animals adjust while they wait, long-term volunteers come to the shelter daily or weekly to offer walks, pets and snuggles. They hope that if the pets do not see them as strangers, they will be more comfortable. To further their comfort level dogs who come from the same household are kept together. 

Though Pasadena Humane has responded to previous fires, it has never experienced a fire of this level or duration. With rescued animals coming in by the dozens, surrounding shelters such as the Santa Barbara Humane Animal Shelter, the San Diego Humane Society, the Los Angeles Best Friends Pet Adoption Center, and the Sacramento Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals have absorbed the animals in need of housing that were previously living in the shelter’s kennels. 

Currently, the majority of Pasadena Humane’s domesticated tenants are cats and dogs, but horses, a herd of goats and a pig also wait for their owners’ safe return. One volunteer estimated that 90% of the animals now living in Pasadena Humane are surrendered pets. Pets lost by evacuees will have 21 days to be claimed. Animals found in fire zones will be treated for smoke inhalation and burns using the monetary contributions of well-wishers.

For the shelter’s wilder charges, Pasadena Humane’s onsite Wildlife Rehab Center provides injury care with minimal human contact. To date, it has treated peacocks, smaller birds and an orphaned baby raccoon. The center usually deals in unlucky encounters between wildlife and humans, such as vehicle strikes. Pasadena Humane staff predicts it will be able to release these critters back into the wilderness when they are fully healed. 

The Eaton Fire’s rapid spread meant that many homeowners returned to find barricades blocking their way home with their pets on the other side and unattainable. In such situations, the Pasadena Humane Society works alongside the Red Cross and with animal control officers specifically trained for fire zones. If containment of the fire continues to increase, these organizations will soon begin going door-to-door looking for animals. The Pasadena Humane Society encourages anyone separated from their pet due to the fires to contact it immediately. 

The Pasadena Humane Society will keep the public up-to-date as the situation evolves. For now, the community can rest assured their pets are cared for by passionate, animal loving volunteers, and those volunteers are cared for by communities near and far. 

Monetary donations can be made at https://pasadenahumane.org/give/donate/?campaign=431108.