A pet memorial? The West Hollywood City Council on Monday will consider asking city staffers to take a look into creating one.
The proposal is being brought forward by City Council members John Duran and Lauren Meister. Meister is well-known as the owner of Spike, a dog she adopted from a South Central L.A. rescue shelter 14 and a half years ago. Spike died on Sept. 20. Meister has since adopted two dogs from South Korea.
A memo about the proposal notes that “pets have an important impact on the quality of life of residents. They provide an immeasurable value, serving as loyal companions and family members. They provide us with companionship, but also with emotional support, reduce stress levels, sense of loneliness and help increase social activities. “
“Research shows that people can grieve a pet’s passing as much as, and sometimes even more than, the passing of a human friend or family member. Still, some people may feel embarrassed or ashamed about the severity of the heartbreak they feel after the loss of a pet and may mourn the loss privately without sharing their grief with others.”
The proposal would have City Hall staff research options for a memorial and notes it could be placed at Hart Park or West Hollywood Park, both of which have dog play areas.
“Some cities allow community members to purchase memorial bricks or benches in the cities’ dog parks,” says the memo about the proposal. “The price charged for the memorial bricks offsets the costs, and any additional funding is donated to a nonprofit organization providing pet services. Other examples of pet memorials include bridges or pet statues.”
The proposal is on the Council’s consent agenda, which includes a number of items likely to be approved in a single vote. The public portion of the Council meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. at the City Council Chambers, 625 N. San Vicente Blvd. south of Santa Monica. Parking is free in the five-story structure behind the Chambers with a ticket validated in the lobby.
A memorial for our four legged family is a wonderful example of West Hollywood incorporating innovative, creative and progressive ideas. In developing a pet memorial, West Hollywood has listened to the requests of the residents. A pet memorial matches the needs and culture of its citizens.
The integration of a pet memorial within one of our parks, will hold great meaning and offer solace to the community of pet owners who’s pets have crossed the ‘Rainbow Bridge’.
Waste of money and time. Is West Hollywood a serious city or not?
How about a generic memorial for ALL deceased WeHo pets, not only dogs but cats, birds, lizards, everything! No specific names and no buying bricks or plaques; this does not exclude low income residents who cannot afford it.
agreed. a literal simple, rainbow bridge in an area, with a bench. could be in a park or wherever space exists. will become a definite destination for many. i need to say that not one social service, community service, or public benefit is mutually exclusive or excluding of others.
Aw jeez.
This is ridiculous.
Grief is private.
Open to this community based idea. Perhaps, tiles or plaques to brighten up the dog park. I find it odd that there is such anger before ANY details of feasibility.
At the risk of this becoming macabre, Larry Block, West Hollywood may not have a cemetery. but certainly it’s dead citizens are buried in one , at least those who chose to, & have memorials there. But this actually has nothing to do with dogs’ life spans, low income memorials, limited space, the consent calendar, a dog’s carbon footprint, cat litter, the homeless, the value of real estate, Duran’s name, or any other sidetracking subject other than memorializing our departed pets, a lovely & beautiful gesture for most people & very appropriate for progressive West Hollywood. Further, adopting a dog… Read more »
Spoken very well and could not expect anything less from a man with his Rolls Royce convertible top down and dog in the front seat.
agreed woody.
Why don’t we waste some money on researching “why squirrels dance”. THIS…is when you know we have the WRONG people running this city and wasting our tax dollars!!!!!!
Agree 100%. Our city is facing serious problems these days – our growing homeless population, rampant drug abuse, the coercion of our government by hotel developers, choking traffic, noise and air pollution, the need for affordable housing – and to hear that our leaders are spending their time and money on a ridiculous dead pet project like this?? This is disgusting. Vote these people out.
Some community members have asked for Council to consider some form of pet memorial. What this item does (if adopted), is “direct staff to evaluate the community interest in, and feasibility of, establishing a memorial.” It does not allocate any funds to creating one at this time. Further, this item does not take away from or take priority over our social services for homeless people. In fact, there are a number of items on the agenda tonight that impact the City’s homeless initiative. I’ve read them and I’m ready to discuss at Council tonight. Look forward to community input on… Read more »
If even one city staffer spends one hour “researching” this, we’ve spent too much money on it.
What is the carbon footprint of a dog? Keep in mind, dogs eat meat, lights are kept on for them, if you hire someone through Wag to drive across LA to walk Fido they too contribute to the footprint. What about my neighbor’s dog that doesn’t stop barking? What about the smell of urine or the unpicked up poop on the sidewalk or the sliver of grass? If people are so lonely, adopt a human. A neighbor died and I took his cat. I went from 3lbs of garbage a week to 30. Cat litter! The shear weight increases the… Read more »
As a lifelong dog owner, a longtime active member of PETA and ASPCA and a Volunteer at many shelters, I can understand the grief that Ms. Meister is experiencing. It’s a terrible thing to lose a pet, but it is expected at a certain age. I have lost many dogs over the years. The only way I have found to fill the void is to adopt another one. I have the ashes of every dog I have lost in a memorial at home. The idea of adopting dogs from another Country when we have so many here in LA who… Read more »
Every dollar that might be considered for this project should go towards helping the homeless living human beings in the city.