Pet Expo is a Roaring Success

The Pet Expo was a roaring success. More than 1,000 people came out to view dozens of exhibits and adopt pets. The Expo organizer, April Josephson, was thrilled with the turnout. All five Council members were in attendance, as were Commissioners Jim Rosenberg and Loretta Herrin. Picture above is Councilman Nick along with April Josephson, the event's organizer. Some of the exhibitors were from Lake Forest, including

• · Reptile Rescue of Orange County
• · Pet Country
• · El Toro Animal Hospital
• · Underdog Foster Network

A partial list of other groups included

• · Pet Adoption Center of OC
• · Saving Grace Rescue
• · Pets for Vets
• · Labradors and Friends
• · Pet Rescue Center
• · The Animal Health Foundation
• · New Beginnings
• · K9 Spirit Organization
• · Love Bug Rescue
• · Orange County Pit Bull Rescue
• · Wags & Wiggles
• · California Greyhound Adoption
• · Fur-Ever Home Rescue
• · AVSG Pet Emergency
• · Mission Viejo Animal Hospital

These are all great groups, but since I have personal knowledge of some of them, I thought I would share my impressions.

Pet Country is a Lake Forest pet food store that specializes in nutrition. They have wonderful products and can give you great advice if your pet is having problems that can be caused by food allergies and nutritional deficits.

Pet Rescue Center is based in Mission Viejo and does incredible things for animals with special needs. They rescue pets that otherwise would not be rescued. And they have a monthly pet food drive where they help people who can’t afford to feed their pets. This is a wonderful organization.

AVSG Pet Emergency is a Tustin based group of specialists who can do wonders for your pet if there are serious health problems. They also provide 24/7 emergency services.

El Toro Animal Hospital is right here in Lake Forest and is run by Dr. Fred Saad. They are active in the community and work with many rescue groups. They have a great reputation for quality care.

Reptile Rescue of Orange County is the “go to” organization if you need help with an exotic pet. They are certified by the State and have experience with a wide variety of animals.

New Beginnings is one of the oldest established rescue groups, operating out of Mission Viejo. They do great rescue work.

Pet Adoption Center of OC in Laguna Hills has yet to open their doors, but when they do, they will become a model for a new approach to animal adoption.

Underdog Foster Network is based in Lake Forest and they specialize in finding temporary foster homes for shelter pets. They literally save lives that otherwise would be lost.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr. Jim Gardner is on the City Council for Lake Forest. You can check him out on LinkedIn and/or Facebook and you can share your thoughts about the City at Lake Forest Town Square on Facebook. His comments are not meant to reflect official City Policy.

Dr. Gardner has office hours every Tuesday from 4 pm to 6 pm at the City Hall. In addition, he holds a Town Hall meeting every quarter. The next meeting will be on April 2 at 2 pm at the Foothill Ranch Public Library