About Us
Loving Paws Inc. is a dedicated non-profit animal organization that assesses the needs of low-income pet owners and their beloved animals. Our mission is to provide essential support and care for pets in underserved communities. We are committed to enhancing the well-being of pets and strengthening the human-animal bond through our compassionate initiatives.
Our Journey
Loving Paws Inc. has a remarkable journey that stems from a deep passion for animals and a sense of responsibility towards the welfare of pets in need. We believe in the power of empathy and strive to make a positive impact on the lives of both animals and their owners. Our organization is driven by the vision of creating a world where every pet receives the care and love it deserves, regardless of the economic circumstances of its owner.
What We Do
Loving Paws provides wrap-around services for individuals and their pets living in interim housing programs, inside safe programs, domestic violence programs, veteran programs, LGBTQ programs, and permanent supportive housing. Loving Paws practices a trauma-informed harm reduction approach, utilizing the low barrier model where we meet the clients where they are.
Mission: To provide safe and welcoming wrap-around services for EVERY pet to receive the care that they deserve.
Vision: To help keep unhoused pets and their pet parents united improving their quality of life through education and by providing them with the basic needs so they can thrive.
Our Services:
Consultation/ Needs and Assessment Plan: A Loving Paws representative will meet with the staff and clients to assess their needs and develop a plan of action.
Supportive Services: Loving Paws will provide pet educational training for the staff and the clients to create a safe and welcoming environment for individuals and their pets. Loving Paws will work with the team to coordinate the pet's vaccinations, spay and neutering, pet licensing, and other pet needs that may occur.
Distribution of Supplies: Loving Paws will distribute the basic pet care needs; food, bedding, kennels, litter, collars, leashes, bowls, muzzles, and pee pads.
Flea and Tick Preventatives and Grooming: Loving Paws will provide the pets with flea baths, preventatives, ear cleaning, nail trimming, and haircuts if needed, to help keep a safe and clean environment.
Board Members
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Ann English
Board Member
Terryl Daluz
Terryl has a love for animals that goes back to his childhood. As a child growing up in a single-parent household in the inner city, in low-income housing, Terryl had a strong sense of empathy for the stray animals that roamed his neighborhood. He constantly questioned his mother asking, "Why do people put their pets out on the street in the cold and not feed them?" He would find ways to scrape up some coins to buy food and to build makeshift shelters made out of wood or cardboard for the stray cats and dogs. His love for animals and his quest to engage and enlighten humanity have been a major part of Terryl's life. His work spans 30 years in the social service field from working with adolescents in the juvenile justice system, individuals with mental health issues, and the unhoused population. He and his partner Andrea Carter opened up Wash My Dog grooming salon in 2019 in their community to provide a safe and welcoming environment for pets to get pampered. They now have a second location in Van Nuys, California. Together they started Loving Paws in 2022 to provide individuals and their pets who are experiencing homelessness and don't have the resources to provide their pets with the basic needs. Terryl and Andrea reside in San Fernando Valley with their 4 dogs.
Andrea Carter
Andrea grew up with animals being a major part of her life. She was raised by her grandparents and they had a farm with dogs, cats, chickens, roosters, rabbits, ducks, and birds. They were all her pets. Her pets provided comfort to her. As a teenager when tragedy hit and her grandparents passed away, Andrea found herself homeless living in her car but she found solace in her dog. Although this was a tough time for the 17-year-old senior in high school, this experience propelled her to go even harder to get herself out of poverty. With the help of a high school counselor, she graduated from high school and enrolled in Cal State Poly, where she received her B.A. She also holds a Master in Science and Counseling in Marriage, Family Therapy, and Child Therapy. She is committed to helping others who have experienced trauma and loss. Andrea has over twenty years of experience working with foster care youth, Transitional Age Youth (T.A.Y.), Veterans, Domestic Violence survivors, and individuals dealing with substance abuse, mental health, and homelessness. Andrea has ten years of experience as the director of one of the biggest homeless shelters in Los Angeles, overseeing multiple interim housing and inside safe sites. Andrea is also a Certified Groomer and co-owner of Wash My Dog Salon. Her past experiences in life, the work that she does with the unhoused population, as a business owner, and as a groomer sparked her desire to start the non-profit Loving Paws. She believes in the importance of providing resources to help individuals stay united with their pets regardless of their living situation. Andrea and her new family which consists of Terryl and their 4 fur babies now reside in the same area she grew up in, Lakeview Terrace/Pacoima.
Mann Alfonso
Mann Alfonso served his country for 8 years and has been serving his community for over 30. His long career in the human services industry spans from working with the unhoused, at risk youth, children and adults with autism, battered women and people suffering mental illness. While working the field, he has witnessed the impact pets have on their human counterparts and how a person’s love for their animal can help rebuild their spirit by giving them unconditional hope and purpose. He is passionate in his belief that helping provide pets with good health, will in turn, uplift and strengthen the humans they are looking after. It’s this passion that drew Mann to Loving Paws and its’ mission to provide ALL pet parents with care for their furry friends."
Mann
Allison Cardona
Allison has served as the California State Director for the Koret Shelter Medicine Program since January 2022. She is thrilled to serve on this esteemed team and make an impact for animals and the people who care for them. Prior to this, Allison worked for nearly five years as deputy director for the Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control. In that role, she oversaw two full-service animal care centers, a communications center, public relations, adoption partners, behavior and enrichment, and volunteer programs. Allison also served as liaison to the County's Homeless Initiative ensuring that people experiencing homelessness have options and resources for their pets as well as participating in the County's Anti-racism, Diversity, and Inclusion Initiative, assisting with the implementation of anti-racist policy agenda. Before that, Allison spent fourteen years as a senior program director at the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). She serves on the Leadership Council and volunteers onsite at the Downtown Women's Center, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing trauma-informed care to unhoused women in Los Angeles. She received a bachelor's degree in Public Affairs from Empire State College and is a graduate of the USC Price School of Public Policy Executive Leadership Development Program and Southern Utah University Certificate in Executive Animal Services. The proud daughter of Colombian immigrants, Allison is deeply committed to racial justice and equity work. She lives in Los Angeles with her partner, Yvonne, and her beloved dog, Emma.
Ann English
Over the past three decades, Ann English has worked with the largest supportive housing providers in LA, designing and delivering innovative programs in the homeless services sector. Rooted in community collaboration, Ann is invested in creating opportunities to reimagine and cultivate responsive systems which prioritize relational rather than transactional outcomes. During the past decade, Ann created and advanced the first direct touch program for a national non-profit CDFI, which quickly became a signature initiative and catalyzed changes in policy advocacy and capacity building throughout the industry. This experience affirmed her belief that the most successful outcomes result from a commitment to partnership with individuals who are most impacted by services systems. Ann has been at the forefront of moving institutions to adopt evidence-based practices including the implementation of the first VA sanctioned harm reduction housing for veterans and the first interim shelter to accept and provide care for individuals and their companion animals in Los Angeles. As a recognized thought leader in lived experience partnership, Ann regularly provides technical assistance around ethical storytelling and community-based engagements. She is a founding Board Member of My Dog Is My Home, a national non-profit that supports the human-animal bond in circumstances of homelessness.