Winnetka’s Pawsitive Pet Day is first event buoyed by Blumenfield’s new pro-pet partnership

Los Angeles City Councilmember Bob Blumenfield hosted the first community event boosted by a $1.3 million public-private partnership to grow access to affordable pet care in the San Fernando Valley.

“Pawsitive Pet Day,” cosponsored by Michelson Found Animals and Community Animal Medicine Project, provided free vaccinations, microchips, flea treatment and spay/neuter services for Valley residents. The event also free pet food and pet supplies at the Winnetka Recreation Center.

Back in June, Blumenfield and Michelson Found Animals announced the $1.3 million team-up to fund lower-cost pet care and spay/neuter services for residents of Council District 3 and across the Valley.

The city is beset by overcrowded shelters, rising costs for veterinary services and burgeoning need for more spay/neuter options. To address the challenges, the partnership combines funds from City Hall, philanthropic donations and help from community-based providers.

The initial funding: $800,000 grant from City Councilmember Bob Blumenfield and a $500,000 commitment from Michelson Found Animals through the Robert & Erika Brunson Spay/Neuter Fund.

“One of the most important things we can do to address the crisis at our shelters, is to bring more spay, neuter and wellness services to our residents and I’m grateful to partner with Michelson Found Animal as we create this new partnership,” said Blumenfield in a statement. “Spaying and neutering our pets is imperative because it helps eliminate preventable illness, unwelcomed litters and it’s fiscally smart for our city to invest in more of these programs.”

“Councilmember Blumenfield recognized that Los Angeles’ animal welfare crisis requires creative, scalable solutions. We are incredibly grateful to partner with him and CD3 on this new public-private funding approach to tackle the upstream drivers of shelter intake,” said Dr. Gary Michelson, founder and co-chair of Michelson Philanthropies.