Los Angeles Animal Shelters Struggle With Influx of Displaced Pets

Nicole Montanez called four hotels on Tuesday before finding a room where she could safely evacuate with her son and her 4-year-old Havanese, Diego. The dog coughed throughout the 75-minute car ride from Pacific Palisades to Marina del Rey, where the family was taking shelter from the wildfires searing through Los Angeles.

“I’ve got to give him a bath,” Ms. Montanez, 42, said of Diego. “He smells like smoke, too.”

The wildfires that have killed five people and forced tens of thousands to evacuate since Tuesday morning have also created chaos for the dogs, cats and other animals that consider Los Angeles home. While some owners have fled with their pets in tow, a network of rescues and shelters in the Los Angeles area is straining to care for the hundreds of animals that have been left behind.

More than 180 animals of all shapes and sizes have been dropped off at Pasadena Humane since Tuesday night, said Kevin McManus, the public relations manager for the shelter. “There is a pig here on site right now,” he said. “We had a pony up until about 15 minutes ago.”

The shelter’s staff is scrambling to make room for the animals that it expects will arrive in the coming days, as locals discover the extent of the damage to their homes and businesses. A room often used for neutering dogs has been converted into extra kennel space. The shelter is asking volunteers to foster animals to help with overflow.

“We’ve had to start moving everybody around like Tetris pieces,” Mr. McManus said, adding, “We still have a line of people with their pets outside, waiting to bring them in.”

Megan Fenner, the administrator for the Lange Foundation, an animal shelter in West Los Angeles, said she had gotten close to 60 calls from panicked pet owners since the fires began. The rescue is distributing pet food, blankets and medication to owners who may have left in a hurry without necessary supplies.

Three dogs had been dropped off by Wednesday morning, Ms. Fenner said, and more cats were on their way. She said she was worried the shelter would soon run out of space. “If we need to, we can make makeshift pens,” she said.

The Los Angeles Department of Animal Services is directing pet owners to the Westwood Recreation Center and the Ritchie Valens Recreation Center, which accept evacuees and their small pets. Larger animals like horses can be brought to the Los Angeles Equestrian Center, according to the department’s website.

It is difficult to say just how many pets have been displaced by the wildfires, but the number is likely in the thousands, said Jill Tucker, chief executive of the California Animal Welfare Association. She had spent Wednesday in a Google Group coordinating with more than 300 shelters and other animal care organizations in the state.

“There’s always risk that winds will change, and that the very shelters that are taking care of the animals are then going to have to evacuate,” she said.

Ms. Montanez, hunkered down in a hotel room in Marina del Rey, does not yet know if her home burned down or if the clothing store she owns in the Palisades was destroyed. “Those are not necessarily on the forefront of my mind as much as the importance of my dog and my child being safe and with me,” she said.