Woman keeps shelter animals blanketed with puppy love

By Dennis McCarthy, Columnist
Article Last Updated: 03/01/2008 09:36:52 PM PST


Click photo to enlargeEileen Smulson, on left, who started 2008 Operation Blankets of... (Tina Burch/Staff Photographer)«1»Yeah, it is amazing - what one woman has done.

In a little more than a month, Eileen Smulson of Granada Hills has collected more than 3,000 blankets and comforters for every dog, kitten and sick cat living on cold, cement floors in outdoor cages at Los Angeles animal shelters.

She's done it by asking every mom-and-pop store she shops at in the Valley if she could put her flier on a donation box in their stores to let people know what she's trying to do.

Every one of them said yes.

"The response from customers has been overwhelming," said Phil Carter, owner of Red Barn Feed and Saddlery stores in West Hills and Tarzana.

"People read the flier and come back a few minutes later to drop a blanket in the bin, or they give me money so Eileen can buy another blanket for the animals.

"The life expectancy of a blanket in one of those cages isn't too long, so it's going to be an ongoing project for her to make sure every animal has something warm and cuddly for cold, rainy nights."

Each cage has a cubbyhole in it with heated floors, but when it's raining and frigid outside, a warm blanket or comforter makes a big difference to these animals that are waiting, hoping to be adopted.

Lora Heister, owner of Pet People in Granada Hills, has had the same reaction from her customers.

"I'm just bummed I didn't think of it," she said Friday. "What Eileen is doing is just such a great idea."

Ed Boks,director of the Los Angeles Department of Animal Services, thinks so, too. Next month, Eileen is getting a commendation from the Animal Services Commission.
"She epitomizes what's best about our volunteer program, and we can't thank her enough," Boks said, adding that at any given time there are about 1,000 animals in the city's six shelters.

"To accomplish what she has for all our animals in such a short period of time is incredible."

Eileen smiles. It was like a snowball rolling downhill, she says. She just gave the idea a shove, and it grew into an avalanche.

It all began in January, when she walked into the West Valley animal shelter to inquire about volunteering and saw a sign that said the shelter needed blankets for its animals.

The dogs chew up a lot of blankets, and they have to be thrown away, shelter manager Capt. Jan Selder told her. Every shelter was in constant need of more blankets to be donated.

"The animals bundle up in them for a warm, homey feeling," Selder told her.

Eileen took one look at the cages and thought of her own dog, Ginger, who she rescued four years ago.

"I saw her lying on that cold, cement floor on a rainy, freezing night, and knew I had to do something."

She asked Selder if it was OK if she went out into the community to ask for blankets. Go for it, Selder said.

"I thought she'd come back with a few blankets, but a week later she was back with a hundred, then a few days later another hundred blankets. It was amazing."

Inside of a month, West Valley had 500 blankets. Word started spreading to the other city shelters about this woman out in the Valley who had the golden touch getting blankets.

Selder told her the East Valley shelter wanted to know if she could spare some blankets. Eileen dropped off 200.

Pretty soon, the North Central and West L.A. shelters each had 400 of Eileen's blankets for their dogs. Thursday, she drove to San Pedro to drop off another 200 blankets at the Harbor shelter, which needed them.

And when the new Mission Hills animal shelter opens its doors next month, there will be another 500 blankets waiting for those animals.

This doesn't include the extra cans of dog food and treats Eileen has collected for the shelters. And the more than 1,000 towels shelter employees can use to clean up dogs so they look nice for adoption.

"I went only to mom-and-pop stores instead of the big pet chain stores because they know their customers and have built a good relationship with them," she said.

"I wanted this to be a community project for people living in the neighborhoods where the shelters are. I wanted everyone to have a personal stake in keeping the animals in our shelters warm and have something to cuddle up in on cold nights."

I'd say Eileen Smulson did a pretty good job of that.

For locations to drop off blankets, give Eileen a call at 818-402-6586, or e-mail her at eicreate@aol.com.

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Los Angeles Councilman Dennis Zine requests blankets for pets

Friday Mar 7th, 2008 8:05 AM
Los Angeles Councilmember Dennis Zine asks the public for blankets and towels for cats and dogs in our City's animal shelters. Please, help our City's animals and donate your unwanted blankets and towels.

2008 “Operation Blankets of Love”
Blanket and Towel Drive

Dear Friends,

I want to share a special opportunity with you that was brought to my attention by Eileen Smulson. In 2007, Eileen created 2008 Operation of Blankets of Love Drive after learning that the Los Angeles Animal Services shelters were in dire need of blankets and towels to keep the animals warm and dry during the unpredictable weather.

Eileen has collected more than 2500 items already and was endorsed by the head of the LA Animal Services and all the Directors of the city shelters for her admirable service to the community.

Eileen says that these donations greatly enrich the lives of the homeless, abused, and abandoned dogs in these shelters by giving them a cuddly blanket to feel safe in. The towels are used for additional bedding or for grooming making them feel comfortable and relaxed, making them more adoptable.

You can help by collecting and donating clean, old & new blankets and towels for shelter animals waiting to be adopted by loving homes!

A study by the Compassion Action Institute in New York shows that shelter animals that are given blankets, sheets, and comforters to rest on are more able to relax and get comfortable in their new surroundings while they are waiting to be adopted. Potential adopters are more drawn to animals that appear relaxed and friendly, snuggled on a soft bed which helps to create a more home-like setting. The simple addition of a blanket or comforter to a shelter animal’s environment is proven to lead to increased adoptions.

Please bring your donations to the locations listed:

Warm Regards,

DENNIS P. ZINE
Your Third District Councilman