Giving Back
Angels P R OJ E C T :
T H E LI T T L E
PROVIDING HOPE & HE ALING FOR ANIMAL S
ARTICLE TRACY MARCYNZSYN PHOTOGRAPHY PROVIDED
W
hen a little kitten named Pirate came down with an eye infection, a Los Angeles shelter placed it on the “red list” to be euthanized. Lucky for Pirate, animal rescue organization FixNation saved the suffering kitten just in time, calling on Darlene Geekie, RVT, and Dr. Gary Latos, DVM, at Veterinary Angels Medical Center in Agoura Hills to help treat Pirate’s eye, which had to be removed. Similarly, Canela, a pocket pit bull, was scheduled to be euthanized due to his cough and breed. This time, Love that Dog Hollywood swooped in to save Canela, again relying on Darlene’s program to treat his cough, which turned out to be a simple and easy-to-cure kennel cough. Thanks to dedicated rescue organizations, Pirate and Canela were treated and placed in forever homes, saving them from the fate of some 2.7 million animals that are euthanized annually in California. Sadly, some 1.2 million dogs and 1.4 million cats are put to death each year because of a lack of resources to house and care for them in shelters. Animals suffering from a medical condition are often euthanized before healthier animals who may have more of a chance to be adopted. It is for this reason that Darlene, owner of Veterinary Angels Medical Center, established The Little Angels Project, a 501c3 nonprofit organization with the mission to reduce euthanasia rates of animals by providing surgical and medical treatment. For the past 16 years, Darlene has been partnering with area animal welfare organizations and leading education efforts to aid animals in need. “Nothing great can be done alone,” says Darlene. “We collaborate with other organizations by providing the medical care for pets
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Conejo Valley Lifestyle | March 2017