The Jason Debus Heigl Foundation

The JDHF joined the Bark Avenue Foundation and North Shore Animal League's 3rd Annual "Get Your Licks On Route 66" event in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday, September 17. The event was held in honor of Puppy Mill Awareness Day and also to promote the importance of adopting a pet from a shelter.

Between 10 and 3pm the community gathering on Main Street attracted a number of different rescues groups who brought along highly adoptable dogs, cats and bunnies. Celebrity animal lovers such as Elaine Hendrix (Joan of Arcadia, Friends, Charmed, Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2) and Orlando Brown (The Jamie Foxx Show, That's So Raven, Phil of The Future, WordGirl) also lent their support.

Proceedings began with a press conference where City Council President Pro Tempore Jan Perry heralded the new city ordinance prohibiting the purchase of animals on Los Angeles streets.

Animal advocate Kim Sill introduced a number of speakers at the event, beginning with the Animal Rescue Corp who spoke about the horrors of Puppy Mills, the importance of spay / neuter and of providing shelter animals with forever homes. Next up was Lori Weise of Downtown Dog Rescue who spoke about her organizations amazing work in inner city areas.

Kathy Davis, our Executive Director, also addressed the crowd at the event. She praised the tireless work of animal welfare groups and volunteers and explained how the Heigl Foundation supports the work of rescue organizations and our commitment to directly address the pet population crisis.

In addition to all the adoptable pets who were there for people to meet, the event also provided public demonstrations, information, raffles, prizes, a free vaccination and microchipping clinic and some great food trucks! Check out our Facebook Album for more photos from a fantastic day.

The event was a big success, with 42 animals being adopted and 120 vaccinated and micro-chipped. Another forty vouchers for free spay / neuter surgery were also dispensed to qualified recipients.