In the last week of September, our End of Summer Fiesta brought together our hard-working staff and volunteers for an afternoon of delicious food and fun to celebrate the end of our busiest season.

We had a lot to applaud, as we saw a 14% increase in adoptions this summer compared to last summer, and our summer camp expanded from serving 82 campers in 2023 to 241 campers in 2024!

The day after our fiesta, our annual Celebration of Heroes recognized the generous contributions of our organization’s major donors. I’m incredibly grateful to our heroes and superheroes who enable us to make our community a better place for animals and the people who love them.

While October will hopefully bring cooler weather, fewer kittens and fewer orphaned baby wildlife to the shelter, we will continue to see a steady flow of dogs, cats, and critters regardless of season. In fact, our dog kennels are completely full at the moment, so we are waiving adoption fees for all large dogs.

And, we remain busy with many events, programs, and activities to promote our mission of compassion and care for all animals. Here’s a look at some of what’s happening at Pasadena Humane this month

Tour of local catios

Pasadena Humane is honored to once again partner with Teranga Ranch for the second annual Los Angeles Catio Tour today. Our shelter will be the kickoff location for a self-guided driving tour of more than 10 private catios (i.e., cat patios) of all shapes and sizes throughout Los Angeles.

Wild about wildlife

Our second annual Wildlife Day is returning this Sunday at Pasadena Humane. Join us for a fun, educational and inspirational day for all ages, including wildlife talks, activities, crafts and vendors.

Then head over to Mountain View Cemetery in Altadena on Friday evening for a wildlife walk. We’ll observe the many wild animals that call the cemetery home and use special equipment to pick up bat sounds.

Adopt a pet for free

Our third and final Free Adoption Day of the year is Oct. 12. Thanks to our generous sponsor, The Mericos Foundation, we are waiving the adoption fee for all available animals. Of course, all pets will be spayed/neutered, microchipped and up to date on age-appropriate vaccines.

Paws and paint

On Oct. 24, we will host a “spooktacular” painting event for kids ages 7-12. Participants will unleash their creativity as they bring to life a Halloween-theme pet painting. Kids will choose between a dog or cat design and learn step-by-step techniques to create their masterpieces.

Barks and boos

We are once again partnering with the Los Angeles Arboretum for a dog-friendly day at the Arboretum. Barks & Boos, a Halloween-theme event, will feature craft beer and food trucks on Oct. 27. Of course, our Wiggle Waggle Wagon will be on-site with adoptable dogs, and our training team will offer a doggie agility course.

I hope you will join us for some of these October activities.

And, for a sneak peak of what’s to come this winter, Pasadena Humane and Hill’s Pet Nutrition are joining forces again to raise awareness about the importance of pet adoption with a float in the 2025 Rose Parade on New Year’s Day!

The larger-than-life animals depicted on the float will represent real animals adopted from Pasadena Humane. Plus, we’ll have a few adoptable dogs riding on the float.

If you would like to stay up to date on all that’s happening at Pasadena Humane, please sign up for our email list at pasadenahumane.org

Dia DuVernet is president and CEO of Pasadena Humane.