Latest news with #KevinMcManus
CBS News
06-04-2025
- General
- CBS News
Pasadena Humane hosts Wiggle Waggle Walk & Run to support pets and raise vital funds
Excitement filled the air as the 27th annual Wiggle Waggle Walk & Run kicked off in Pasadena, with thousands of participants and their furry companions bringing an infectious energy to the event. Hosted by Pasadena Humane , the event had already raised an impressive $350,000, with more than 2,000 participants expected to gather at Brookside Park, located at 360 N Arroyo Boulevard, at the Rose Bowl. One of the day's highlights was the highly anticipated doggy costume contest. Registration opens at 8 a.m. on Sunday, with the walk scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. A mobile adoption unit was also on-site, featuring five or six dogs available for adoption right at the event. "There's a lot of dogs and people and a lot of volunteers," said Kristin Sullivan, a volunteer. "There is so much energy, there is so much excitement." For Pasadena Humane, the event is one of their largest annual fundraisers, supporting vital programs like foster care, a kitten nursery, animal ICU, wildlife care, and more, all aimed at saving the lives of animals in the community. "Animals are expensive to care for in kennel. And we have a fantastic community. We have an amazing support group. We are still getting in a number of strays. We are occasionally getting in some custody dogs. The fundraisers are vital to the mission," Sullivan added. The event is of particular importance this year due to the aftermath of the Eaton fire, with Pasadena Humane playing a key role in caring for lost pets. "We are still caring for about 140 animals whose families just don't have a home to go back to. We are doing that at no charge to them, of course, but that is only possible because of the generosity of our community," said Kevin McManus, a spokesperson for Pasadena Humane. "We have participants from all over. We have adopters from all over. We have supporters from all over . . . it is a really fun day, I am so excited."
Forbes
26-03-2025
- General
- Forbes
Shelter Reunites Families With Pets Displaced By L.A. Wildfires
Pasadena Humane took in over 1,500 pets displaced by the Eaton fire that started the evening of ... More January 7, 2025. Now the shelter staff delights in happy reunions and adoptions. As flames from the Eaton fire engulfed a neighborhood in Altadena, California, earlier this year, a family frantically loaded their beloved cat and dog into their car. Suddenly, a neighbor's propane tank exploded — startling Canelo, a pit bull, who jumped out of the vehicle and ran off. His family couldn't find him and had to flee for their lives. A day or two later, someone found Canelo wandering around the burn zone and brought him to Pasadena Humane, a nonprofit animal shelter that serves Altadena, Pasadena and other parts of the San Gabriel Valley devasted by the wildfire. 'He was burned pretty badly,' says Kevin McManus, public relations and communications manager at Pasadena Humane. 'Thankfully, he survived.' Canelo wasn't wearing a collar or microchipped, but the shelter snapped a photo and shared it on the 'found pets' section of their Eaton fire emergency page and got him veterinary care. 'We have an animal ICU here on site, and five full-time veterinarians who work here,' he says. Canelo suffered burns during the Eaton Fire that destroyed his home in Altadena, California. Thanks to the photo, Canelo's family learned he was at Pasadena Humane and came to see him. They'd lost their home to the fire, so the shelter continued to care for Canelo and treat his burned paws and other injuries for nearly a month. When he was ready to leave, the shelter shared a touching reunion video on social media. 'I got to witness when his family came to pick him up to take him home,' McManus says. 'It was just the sweetest. There was not a dry eye in the room. Canelo's whole body was wagging and he was licking the guy's face. The owner said, 'I can buy new things. I can rebuild my home, but I can't buy another Canelo. I can't find another dog like this.' I still get choked up thinking about it.' Canelo is one of over 1,500 pets who landed at Pasadena Humane during the catastrophic Eaton fire, which killed at least 17 people and destroyed more than 9,400 buildings. Pasadena Humane always offers emergency boarding for pets — free of charge — so some animals were temporarily surrendered by evacuees without access to a pet-friendly place to stay. Many others were rescued by firefighters and animal control officers. When the fire erupted on the evening of January 7, shelters throughout the state helped Pasadena Humane make space for an influx of displaced pets by taking around 150 dogs, 50 cats and other pets, like rabbits. The shelter created an emergency hotline for people to report lost, found and left-behind pets, and essentially became a command post to care for displaced pets, with help from other shelters and organizations, including American Humane, K9 Youth Alliance, Marin Humane, ASPCA, Santa Barbara Humane, San Diego Humane Society, Banfield Foundation and VCA Animal Hospitals. Hundreds of volunteers — 'too many to count' — helped sort donations for people affected by the wildfires, clean laundry, direct traffic and do anything that needed to be done to allow shelter staff to focus on caring for the animals coming in, according to McManus. 'We've never taken in that number of animals,' he says. 'All day long, we were just taking in animals, taking in animals, taking in animals. And it was emotionally difficult, but also logistically difficult. We had cats in offices and dogs in crates in our training room, and we were using all the kennels we have in our spay/neuter clinic for housing. We had to be really creative and put animals basically anywhere we could.' So when pets started being reunited with their families, Pasadena Humane would share the good news with the team, which helped boost morale. 'Every time that happened, it was like, 'OK, we're getting closer to getting to some kind of normalcy getting through this crisis,'' he says. 'It was pretty special.' Oreo and Mr. Butter head home with their family after evacuation from the Eaton fire. Like Canelo, many displaced pets suffered burns from the blaze. One cat, Skinny Minnie, was a community cat being fed by a couple hoping to integrate her into their family, which includes two indoor cats. When they had to evacuate, they couldn't find her and had to leave without her. When someone brought Skinny Minnie to Pasadena Humane, she was in such bad shape that she was 'unrecognizable,' according to McManus. 'We had her in an oxygen chamber for a couple of days because she had such bad smoke inhalation,' he recalls. 'She couldn't open her eyes. She had burns on her paws.' Over the course of the next month, whenever Skinny Minnie would get a little better, the shelter would post a new photo of her on its 'found' page. Oscar winner Adrien Brody cuddled the bitty kitty while volunteering, which reportedly helped her relax during her ordeal. Oscar-winner Adrien Brody holds Skinny Minnie at Pasadena Humane earlier this year. Eventually, she'd healed enough that her family could recognize her. 'They had pictures, and she really responded to them,' McManus says. Skinny Minnie is still at the shelter because she's going to need multiple surgeries. 'We're just going to keep doing that until she's as healthy as we can get her,' he says. 'They're such a sweet couple. They come and visit her at least three or four or five times a week and just hang out with her. I'm excited for them to finally be able to take her home.' Skinny Minnie is reunited with her family at Pasadena Humane. Pasadena Humane is still caring for around 150 animals like Skinny Minnie whose families lost their homes. 'Obviously we are not charging people for this,' McManus says. 'This is just something that we do for our community.' So Pasadena Humane welcomes financial donations to help offset costs, as well as volunteers, fosters and adopters. Adopting a shelter dog frees up kennel space for other pets in need. He's incredibly grateful to all the people who have stepped up to help both pets and people affected by the Eaton Fire. It means the world to McManus and the Pasadena Humane team every time there's a happy pet reunion at the shelter. 'It was such a terrible situation and something that we never thought we would have to face on such a scale, so it's a reminder of why we all come to work every day and why we're here for our community,' he says. 'We can't do much about the fire or rebuild people's homes, but we can at least assure people that their animals are in good hands while they're with us, and we're just as excited to see them go home as the people are to get them.'
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Yahoo
See where Louisiana ranks as one of the most dangerous states
BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — Louisiana is ranked as one of the most dangerous states in the nation. According to a study conducted by researchers at Kevin McManus Law, Louisiana is the second most dangerous state. Researchers used factors such as traffic fatalities, workplace injuries, firearm-related deaths and crime rates from government sources. The most dangerous state to live in is New Mexico with an overall score of 81.28 out of 100. The leading categories are aggravated assault, motor vehicle thefts, larceny and firearm-related deaths. Louisiana has an overall score of 73.30 and the leading categories are firearm-related deaths, homicide, aggravated assault, car thefts and larceny. Firearm-related deaths are the highest of all states at 28.20 deaths per 100,000 residents. Rhode Island is reported to be the safest state with an index score of 12.70. About 11.68 car thefts per 100,000 residents, 0.21 homicides per 100,000 residents and 8.88 assault incidents per 100,000 people. 'These results highlight significant disparities in safety across the United States,' said an expert at Kevin McManus. 'Residents in higher-risk states must be aware of these factors and take proactive steps to protect themselves and their communities. Implementing neighborhood watch programs, advocating for better public safety resources, and staying informed about local crime trends can make a meaningful difference in reducing risks.' Report: See where Louisiana ranks for mental health in 2025 Here are the 10 most dangerous places in the U.S. New Mexico — 81.28 Louisiana — 73.30 Arkansas — 65.63 Alaska — 62.16 Nevada — 57.64 Tennessee — 56.31 Colorado — 55.84 Missouri — 55.09 South Carolina — 51.97 North Dakota — 50.17 Senate confirms budget director GOP-led House panel to hold hearing on USAID Do I have to pay inheritance taxes in Louisiana? Bengals QB Joe Burrow wins Comeback Player of the Year for second time at NFL Honors What's the difference between beignets and donuts? Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
