Adoptable pets from L.A. wildfires arrive in Utah

Clementine is a young orange-and-white kitty with a broken jaw. Picasso is a 70-pound black dog with an unforgettable underbite. Both were in shelters when the wildfires broke out in the Los Angeles area. Both were some of the first pets to get rides out of California and up to Utah as part of Best Friends’ response to the devastating situation that’s impacting millions of people and pets in the City of Angels.

[Best Friends mobilizes to save pets from L.A. wildfires]

Staff loaded Picasso, Clementine, and around 30 other dogs and cats into a van for the long ride to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, where teams from Cat World and Dogtown were ready and waiting for them. It was the first of many trips from the smoke-laden city to Utah, where people are readying, willing, and able to help however they can.

As Picasso settled into his temporary home in Dogtown, Clementine’s first stop was the Best Friends Animal Clinic, where she received immediate veterinary care, including pain medication and antibiotics to prevent infection. Along with her fractured jaw, Best Friends veterinarians discovered a painful tongue laceration. Yet, despite all of that, darling Clementine maintained her sweet, affectionate personality, making friends with everyone along the way.

“I fell in love with her when I first met her,” says Lori Fusaro, a Best Friends photographer based in L.A. “She is the sweetest thing, and as soon as you pick her up, she starts to purr.”

This resilient little lady is now resting comfortably as she heals in her cozy digs at the clinic, where she continues to make friends with, well, everyone.

The Sanctuary is a home-between-homes for animals like Clementine who need extra care, but for Picasso, it was just a cozy layover.

“Picasso, along with 29 other dogs and puppies, went to a variety of shelters and rescue groups in Salt Lake City, including our lifesaving center,” says Dogtown Manager Megan Miller. “This effort made it possible to welcome more dogs from Los Angeles. Our L.A. team is working tirelessly to take in dogs and cats from shelters, placing them in foster care or on rides to the Sanctuary.”

Amid the flurry of teamwork and trips across multiple states, wiggly Picasso made sure to leave his mark on everyone he met at the Sanctuary. In his brief time there, he booped noses, showered people with kisses, and charmed everyone with his signature snaggletooth visage. As he stepped into the van destined for Salt Lake City, he doled out one more nose boop and kiss, saving the rest for all the friends he’ll meet on his next adventure.

Thanks to the dedication and generosity of a whole network of animal lovers, Clementine, Picasso, and dozens of other animals are now on paths to bright futures and homes of their own.

Our goal at Best Friends is to support all animal shelters in the U.S. in reaching no-kill in 2025. No-kill means saving every dog and cat in a shelter who can be saved, accounting for community safety and good quality of life for pets. 

Shelter staff can’t do it alone. Saving animals in shelters is everyone’s responsibility, and it takes support and participation from the community. No-kill is possible when we work together thoughtfully, honestly, and collaboratively.