[ personality ]. … And I was like , “ This is the happiest dog we ’ ve ever had and how wrong I was to judge that he would be sad or depressing to care for . … I learned that , sadly , this is a common misperception and , as a result , senior and special needs dogs are the most likely to be euthanized . … We thought , “ Hey , if we can get these dogs out in a home environment where … they ’ re not competing against puppies , … they can shine and they can find homes .”
LBM : What will the adoption center be like when it ’ s done ? AM : [ It will be ] like walking into someone ’ s home . … It ’ s hard enough to see dogs without homes . It doesn ’ t help to have it be in an environment that ’ s cold and depressing . … You go to a shelter and you [ think ,] … “ Do I envision this dog on my sofa ? I don ’ t know .” … But if you can see the dog on the sofa , if you come to a place that ’ s cheerful and happy , and you don ’ t have to make a decision on the first day , … we believe ,
the dogs will sell themselves once people are able to interact in a positive environment . … [ You will be able to ] see into our kitchen and see us preparing the meals , … [ and ] a therapy room … [ with ] a wall of glass , so you can see into that room . … And we have two big living rooms that open up to the backyard . … That ’ s mostly where the dogs will be hanging out … and relax [ ing ] or play [ ing ] with a toy or cuddl [ ing ] up … next to someone , go out in the yard and take a walk around and bask in the sun .
LBM : Can you tell us about Rise ? AM : We opened up with , believe it or not , [ roughly ] 80 team members , which is a lot , [ including ] 12 doctors . … We have two board-certified internists , a surgeon , a neurologist , oncologist , and we ’ ll be bringing on a dermatologist and a holistic doctor who will be doing acupuncture and chiropractic [ care ] …
When you show up at a specialty and emergency clinic , … you [ probably ] have a life-threatening or severe emergency
for your pet … and that ’ s just like emotionally really hard . So when someone comes into Rise , the intention is they feel more relaxed because it looks more like a spa . We don ’ t have a big desk with six people on the phone taking calls . … You can just sit in peace . … [ And ] we ’ re prioritizing the level of medical care that we give . … We just want to be the best .
LBM : Why should someone consider adopting a senior or special needs dog ? AM : Seniors make great dogs for people for many reasons because people have lives and can ’ t take seven walks a day with a puppy . They don ’ t want to be jumped on 24 / 7 . They want a cool , mellow companion . There ’ s just a lot of great reasons . It ’ s also just super rewarding when a dog can ’ t care for themself , the level of bond that you ’ re able to form when you have to care for them [ and ] they allow you in at that level , which is really beautiful . g
UNCONDITIONAL : unconditionalrescue . org RISE PET HEALTH : risepethealth . com
We are pleased to offer complimentary valet parking to the Laguna Beach community when dining at Splashes or experiencing a treatment or yoga class at Aquaterra Spa . Thank you for your support during our resort transformation !
Please scan to reserve your Aquaterra Spa treatment
Please scan to reserve your table at Splashes
Complimentary Valet Parking
LAGUNA BEACH MAGAZINE 37