October 12th, 2011 
Maria Menounos, of “Access Hollywood” and now “Extra TV”, was honored for her dedication and committment to her work with animals. She often brings awareness of shelter adoptions to her numerous TV appearances. She is the ambassador to Purina’s Mighty Dog Nation. She has hosted the North Shore Animal League’s Dogcatemy Celebrity Gala, filmed a “Today” show segment on puppy mills, and did a recent photoshoot for Last Chance for Animals.
Maria Menounos with her dog Apollo (Photo Credit: Melissa Curtin)
Maria Menounos has four dogs of her own, and admitted to having allergies. Her dog Apollo made his appearance on the red carpet and joined her boyfriend. Apollo, she told us, was rescued 14 years ago from a shelter after the dog was thrown out of a moving car with new stitches on the dog’s body. She recalled leaving the dog home alone for a few hours in LA and when she returned, it had torn apart her entire recliner so that the metal bones of the chair were left. Menounos shared how you have to be patient with animals, telling us how Apollo years later rescued her little Bijans out of the pool. Menounos spoke of animals as “gifts from God” and how they should be treated like members of your own family. So many dogs, she said, our victims of bad circumstances. She spoke of how she had no pets growing up due to strict Greek parents, then explained how animals have impacted her life by saying, “Life is so much better with them. They are stress busters, and show pure love, unconditional love. I feel bad for people who don’t get to experience that love.” Graciously later in the evening Menounos accepted the award in honor of pet volunteers nationwide.
K9S Only West (www.k9sonly.com) hosted the launch party Thursday, October 6, 2011 for the Friends of L.A. Animal Shelters, which is a volunteer-run nonprofit dedicated to helping L.A.’s city animal shelters. They raise funds to promote veterinary care and innovative adoption programs that the city shelters do not have funding for. The goal of Friends of L.A. Animals Shelters is to increase the live save rate of L.A.’s city animal shelters. Currently, the animals that come into the LA shelters and leave alive is 60%. Their goal is to increase this percentage to at least 85%.
Kelly Dorafshar, Allison Janney, Bobby Dorafshar (Photo Credit: Melissa Curtin)
In November, Friends of L.A. Animal Shelters is opening the first pet store located in the Westside Pavilion mall in Santa Monica. By doing so, the animals will be brought to the people. Dogs and cats will be brought daily for on-the-spot adoption. The store called “L.A., Love & Leashes” will also have unique gift items for animal lovers and 100% of the proceeds will go directly to help L.A.’s orphaned animals. All of their funding comes from people who live in LA and want to make a difference in the lives of animals. The vision of Friends of L.A. Animals Shelters is that every pet born is ensured a good home and care. There will be a feature on their website where you can search and find the dog you want. One of the major ways you can help is to donate to the animals who need you the most. You can write a check or donate online at www.friendsoflaanimalshelters.org. Look for “FriendsofLAAS” on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Tell a friend and help raise awareness.
Margo's Bark - "Root Beer for People, All Profits for Dogs" (Photo Credit: Melissa Curtin)
Guests that attended the canine camaraderie included Kate Johnson (The Secret Life of the American Teenager), Ever Carradine (Rizzoli & Isles, Eureka), Allison Janney (The Help, West Wing, Juno, American Beauty), Charlotte Ross (Glee, NYPD Blue), Nikki DeLoach (Awkward, Days of Our Lives, Windfall, North Shore), attorney Marty Singer, jewelry designer Nola Singer, and many more caring Angelinos. Many delicious treats and drinks were generously donated for this fun animal loving event, such as Malibu Rocky Oaks wine and root beer called Margo’s Dark – “Root Beer for People, All Profits for Dogs.”
K9′s Only West graciously hosted the event, which is a state of the art facility owned by Bobby Dorafshar which used to accommodate pet’s training and boarding needs. K9 Only now offers daycare services, grooming, and wellness/day spa services. Their goal is to make sure every dog that stays with them feels like they are at home and that clients are treated as friends too. www.k9sonly.com
Tom Rogan of Authentic Entertainment, one of the board members of Friends of L.A. Animal Shelters spoke of the twenty or so animals that will be brought to the store in the Westside Pavillion and how they will be brought back to the shelters if they are not adopted. Roger reminded everyone that they will need volunteers for the store. He mentioned how the Seattle Humane Society has a 92% live safe rate and in their 113 year history they have placed 6,094 animals.
The city attorney of L.A., Carmen A. Trutanich was on hand to speak to the bubbly crowd as he exuded great warmth in
Menounos accepting her award. (Photo Credit: Melissa Curtin)
sharing his own tales of rescuing his own dog and cat. He stated that 13.8 animals are killed per 1,000 people in the USA and that they have reduced animal killings in L.A. to 5 out of 1,000 people. He mentioned the city of LA placed 26,000 animals in shelters into homes last year. Trutanich reported the shocking fact from USA Today that we spend 2 billion dollars each year to catch, house, feed, and kill animals every year. “We are going to do everything we can to save the animals.”
I was leaving the event as Maria Menounos and her director boyfriend Keven Undergaro were putting their adopted dog Apollo into the back of their Prius. The whole event made me feel good. There is no time like today to adopt “Man’s Best Friend.”
Visit K9’s Only at 2040 Cotner Avenue in Los Angeles and Friends or L.A. Animal Shelters on the web for more information.
Menounos's boyfriend with Apollo admiring Maria. (Photo Credit: Melissa Curtin)
That is so wonderful–thanks for reporting on this compassionate celebrity. I often think of how much we could do for the animals if only a few more stars used their fame and fortune to bring attention to their plight. Four million animals die in shelters every year–but 17 million families add a pet into their households every year! It is clear that we only need a shift in awareness to save millions of lives. Maria Menounos is certainly doing her part.