Locals Launch Effort to Warm Holidays for Shelter Animals

A pair of local volunteers are organizing an effort to warm up the holidays for the lost or abandoned pets living at North Central Animal Shelter in Cypress Park.

Trisha Gossett and Gretchen Knudsen are hoping to gather as many blankets as possible to donate to the shelter, because many of the pets living there are currently sleeping on cold cement floors.

The effort was inspired by a trip Knudsen took to the shelter this week, when she came across several dogs shivering from the winter cold.

Knudsen said that by providing the pets with blankets, volunteers would not only be warming up their holidays, but helping to make them happier, more relaxed and, ultimately, more adoptable animals.

Gossett, a former member of the Historic Highland Park Neighborhood Council, has enlisted North Figueroa Animal Hospital, Highland Park Animal Hospital and the Carlin G. Recreation Center to serve as collection locations. (Note that donations brought to the North Figueroa Animal Hospital on Satuday must be dropped off before its closing time at noon.)

Knudsen and Gossett said they would drop off the blankets. 

As of Friday morning, a volunteer was still needed to gather large boxes for collecting the blankets and to drop one off at each location.

Update: Knudsen said she had gathered the boxes and Gossett would be dropping them off later in the afternoon on Friday. She said anyone wishing to drop off blankets was welcome to do so immediately.

Update: Gossett said one round of blankets--pictured above--has been dropped off at the shelter.