Pasadena Humane’s largest annual fundraiser is scheduled for Sunday at Brookside Park at the Rose Bowl, and the shelter’s programs chief said housing restrictions — not finances — are now the top non-financial reason families consider surrendering pets.
The 28th Annual Wiggle Waggle Walk & Run supports Pasadena Humane’s surrender-prevention programs, which include a pet food pantry, veterinary assistance, behavior training and referrals for tenant’s-rights help. According to Pasadena Humane, activity in its Helping Paws surrender-prevention program was up 165% year-over-year as of October.
The walk begins at 9 a.m. Sunday at Brookside Park, 360 N. Arroyo Blvd. Registration opens at 8 a.m. Participants can choose a one-mile or 5K route. The event is scheduled to run through noon.
Laura Lampley, chief programs and services officer at Pasadena Humane, has overseen the shelter’s owner-support programs for about two and a half years. In an interview with Pasadena Now, she said the most common driver of surrender that isn’t tied to money is housing.
“I would say one of the bigger or more common reasons for having to consider giving up a pet right now is housing,” Lampley said. She cited families losing housing, moving to more affordable housing that does not allow pets, and evictions.
“Being evicted and having to move to a new apartment that maybe doesn’t allow dogs at all or dogs that are only under 25 pounds,” Lampley said. “All these restrictions on housing is the most common reason I would say for surrender that isn’t tied to finances.”
Lampley said the shelter does not turn anyone away who comes in considering surrender.
“One thing I want people to know is that doesn’t mean that we’re turning anyone away that needs help,” she said. “What we’re actually doing is having a really honest conversation about why they might want to be surrendering their pet or what they need help with in order to keep their pet.”
The shelter’s Helping Paws program includes a pet food pantry open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., payment for medical treatment at offsite clinics, flea preventative, crates for crate training, and behavior classes, according to Pasadena Humane.
The organization reported that nearly 3,000 pet owners received Helping Paws assistance in 2024 and that the Pet Food Pantry provided free meals and essential supplies to more than 4,100 pets that year, a 66% increase over the previous year.
Pasadena Humane also refers clients to outside organizations, Lampley said, including for emotional-support-pet letters and tenant’s-rights help.
“We work with another organization that helps if you are looking for an emotional support pet letter or something like that, or working with someone on their tenant’s rights, maybe they’re being illegally evicted and they don’t need to leave the home or give up their pet,” Lampley said.
Lampley said she hopes over the next year to make more headway connecting clients to landlord-tenant assistance. Tenants with pets, she said, “are often more reliable and better renters than those without pets.”
A 2021 national survey from the Pet-Inclusive Housing Initiative, produced by the Michelson Found Animals Foundation and the Human Animal Bond Research Institute, found 72% of rental residents said pet-friendly housing was hard to find and 59% said it was too expensive.
Some regulars at the pet food pantry, Lampley said, come every month for flea preventative and pet food.
“Sometimes their pet is their only family member,” she said. “They might live alone. Having that companionship, whether they’re living in housing or living unhoused, there’s nothing like that. Their pet is truly their family and that’s all they have in the world.”
Pasadena Humane was founded in 1903 and holds animal-control contracts for 11 cities and areas, including Pasadena, Altadena, Arcadia, Bradbury, Glendale, La Cañada Flintridge, La Crescenta-Montrose, Monrovia, San Marino, Sierra Madre and South Pasadena.
The 27th Annual Wiggle Waggle Walk & Run, held April 6, drew nearly 2,000 participants and raised $350,904.96 before the event started, according to Pasadena Humane officials.
Sunday’s event also features a vendor marketplace, a “Sit, Stay, and Play” Training Park, a doggy costume contest at 10:30 a.m., food trucks and K9 demonstrations by the Pasadena Police Department, according to Pasadena Humane and NBC Los Angeles. Dogs are welcome; cats and other non-canine animals are not permitted at the event for safety reasons. Registered participants receive a t-shirt, bandana, bib and medal.
On-site registration for the Walk on Sunday is $65.
“Sometimes here at the shelter, we’re seeing a lot of dogs and cats, but not necessarily their families as well,” Lampley said. “So it’s really great to see people that are at a fun event outside, having fun with their pet.”
Brookside Park at the Rose Bowl, 360 N. Arroyo Blvd., Pasadena. For more visit wigglewagglewalk.org.
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