Pets and owners reunite as Los Angeles County fires calm down

As they figure out the next steps, many wildfire evacuees have relied on shelters to house their pets.

But, those families lucky enough to head home now are getting to be reunited with them.

That was the case for May Wong Thursday, she's been waiting nearly a week to reunite with her cat Nico and her parrot Ducky.

The Eaton Fire forced Wong to evacuate from her Pasadena home last week. She said she was woken up by police sirens.

“It was hard to pack the car because the winds were so bad that I couldn't even walk from my house to the driveway,” she said.

Her first thought when she evacuated was where her pets could go.

“I was freaking out, I needed something,” Wong said. “I needed…to get them safe. Then I could worry about myself.”

The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Los Angeles, or SPCALA, opened its doors to Wong when the wait for space at the Pasadena Humane Society got long.

SPCALA housed around 50-60 pets from wildfire evacuees at its pet adoption center on West Jefferson Boulevard, according to SPCALA Vice President Miriam Davenport.

It's not clear how many pets have been reunited with their owners, but Davenport said the center is getting emptier.

Many pets, though, still are waiting to return home. Davenport adds as pets are reunited, it does help open up space for other families.

“If you're still evacuated, or you can't get back into your home, we do have limited space,” Davenport said.

Wong returned home Sunday, and since then she's been cleaning up so her pets can safely return. She's counting her blessings to have her whole family back home.

“I was talking to other people at the convention center and one of them couldn't get her can't from under the bed, so she had to make a choice,” Wong said. “She left with her two dogs. We don't know what happened to the cat.”

If you could use SPCALA's help in housing your pet, you can call them at 323-730-5300, or visit their website, spcala.com.

Pet owners still looking for their pets can call one of these hotlines to get help finding them: 

Palisades Fire 

(213) 270-8155  

Eaton Fire 

(626) 577-3752