Shelter Animals Star in Adoption Show

Faced with glaring lights and probing television cameras, plenty of dogs and cats would shy away, preferring to steer clear of the commotion.

But the nearly 30 pets from two San Fernando Valley shelters who visited the West Valley Cable Studio this week seemed to bask in the spotlight. Their guest appearances on the program “The Pet Place” represented a possible ticket out of the shelter--if not to stardom.

“They’re real hams,” said shelter volunteer Phyllis Daugherty, who helped out at Wednesday’s taping. “You bring out a camera and they’ve got their nose in it.”

The two half-hour programs taped in Chatsworth will be broadcast throughout Southern California on Irvine-based KDOC-TV Saturday and Nov. 23. The purpose of the program is to find owners for homeless dogs and cats. Viewers interested in adopting the pets can find them at local shelters.

Pets that are not placed in homes remain in the shelter indefinitely and are euthanized if they become ill, shelter officials said.

Daugherty said such a fate is especially likely at the East Valley shelter in North Hollywood, which she called the most crowded in Los Angeles.

One of the programs taped in Chatsworth focuses on dogs that are older than 7. “People don’t realize how wonderful older dogs are,” Daugherty said. “They’re already trained. They don’t destroy things. They don’t jump over fences. If you’ve been through things with a puppy and don’t want to do it again, get an older dog.”

Although the programs are airing at the start of the holiday season, organizers strongly encourage people not to buy pets outright as gifts. Instead, shelters recommend gift certificates, which enable recipients to choose the pet best suited to them, have it spayed or neutered and given the proper shots.

“The Pet Place” airs Saturdays at 6 p.m. and Sundays at 6 a.m. on KDOC-Channel 56 on non-cable systems. The station’s channel number varies on different cable systems.