A free community grand-opening celebration took place last month. (Photo courtesy of city of La Puente.)
Last month, the City of La Puente celebrated the grand opening of Paws & Play Park to help address the lack of local animal care services in the community.
In 2023, planning for the shelter and dog park advanced with support from the county's Measure A Technical Assistance Program and the city’s General Fund.
The measure is an initiative managed by the Los Angeles County Regional Park and Open Space District (RPOSD) to help eligible agencies develop, design and build park projects. Through this new effort, the facility will provide a local place for animal care and shelter, as well as space for community programs.
Grand opening ceremony, which featured children face painting, balloons and more for community members. (Photo courtesy of city of La Puente.)
“Residents deserve a local team they can turn to when an animal needs help,” said Mayor Charlie Klinakis. “Our Council made that a priority, our staff built the program, and our partners brought the expertise to make it work, providing the most comprehensive animal care, adoption, recreation and training services in Southern California.”
The city’s Animal Services division is part of Code Enforcement under Public Safety Services, where city employees respond to calls, handle pet licenses, transport animals, and enforce animal rules. The city also has a 24-hour phone service for animal emergencies.
Program partners include Volunteers in Defense of Animals (VIDA), which provides sheltering, adoption, and rescue placement, and the Healthcare & Emergency Animal Rescue Team (HEART), which works closely with the city on affordable pet care events.
The $3.275 million project transforms previously vacant land in eastern La Puente into a place where neighbors can connect, dogs can play and animals can receive care. (Photo courtesy of city of La Puente.)
Paws & Play Park was also designed to provide recovery space for cats in the city’s trap-neuter-return program, which uses sterilization to help manage the community cat population.
“This facility is the culmination of years of dedicated work,” said JD Buckwell, chief of Public Safety. “It began with the complete restructure of public safety, the creation of the Animal Assistance Bureau, and now a multi-faceted shelter with community-structured low-cost vaccinations, K9 training and family-oriented dog spaces.”
Future plans for the facility include affordable veterinary service events and programs serving military and veteran communities.
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