Canyon Lake women jump in to save dogs

BY Kelly Lopez

Carmelita Kubota bids farewell to her two dogs, Rikko and Aliko, after exhausting efforts to find them new homes prior to moving from Canyon Lake. Photo courtesy of Carmelita Kubota

Carmelita Kubota lived in Canyon Lake for almost 15 years until she had to leave recently because of the untimely death of a loved one. Unfortunately for her, the heartbreak of losing her longtime companion was just the beginning of her sorrows. She was also going to be forced to give up her two dogs, Rikko and Aiko.

Carmelita had adopted the two dogs from Animal Friends of the Valleys (AFV) several years ago. They were her long-time best friends for many years, but she could not take them with her after she moved out of Canyon Lake. Carmelita advertised online for anyone to take her dogs and give them a good home.

As time passed, she knew the dogs’ fate was probably sealed and she would be forced to drop them off at AFV, where she rescued them many years ago. Carmelita dreaded the thought of handing them over to the local shelter, because it seemed unlikely they’d get adopted because of their age and, with AFV not being a “no kill” shelter, they eventually might be euthanized.

It came time to move and Carmelita was forced to hand Rikko and Aiko over to the shelter. She worried every day that they were there, she said. While her dogs were at the shelter, she continued to advertise furiously online to find homes for her dogs, but to no avail.

Meanwhile, Canyon Laker Kathleen Hawley saw one of Carmelita’s online posts about the dogs and she offered her help. Kathleen said she did not know exactly how she could be of help at first, but she said she was determined to find a way.

Kathleen and her daughter started by searching for no-kill shelters throughout the county, but could not find any. The closest such shelter was located in Thousand Oaks. Kathleen and her daughter did not find the distance an obstacle and the trip was planned.

Kathleen’s daughter picked up both dogs, Rikko and Aiko, from AFV and drove them four hours to the shelter in Thousand Oaks. Shelter Hope Pet Shop, a shelter with a policy of not euthanizing its animals, took them both in and guaranteed they would not end their lives.

Carmelita made contact with the shelter regularly to check in on her furry friends and inquired about their adoption. The news finally arrived that Rikko, the male dog, was adopted by a family in Pasadena.

Aiko’s adoption was more involved. It was discovered by the shelter veterinarians that she had some heart ailments, which made her adoption more complicated. She was finally adopted on May 26 by a family in Thousand Oaks. Carmelita made contact with the family and arranged a video chat with her old friend, relieved the ordeal was over and her dogs had found new homes.