Muttmatchers Messenger
is a free paper, distributed on a bi-monthly basis, listing adoptable dogs throughout Southern California. There are many purebreds as well as mixed breeds. You can get the MuttMatchers at most pet stores. Call (805) 524-4542 or e-mail them at Muttmatch@aol.com.

Cat Fancy
magazine publishes periodic listings of shelters and rescue organizations. You can e-mail them at: catfancy@fancypubs.com.

In addition to rescuing pets from public animal shelters, many of the privately supported animal programs (and some humane societies) take in pets whose owners, for a variety of circumstances, are no longer able to care for them.

These no-kill shelters fall into two groups: those that offer care for a pet until it is adopted, even if that care extends to the end of the animal's life; and those that offer lifetime care with a no-adoption option, a kind of "retirement home" for pets.

Many of these are cageless, home-like environments where the animals live in a warm, secure, comfortable environment until adoption. The cost of adopting these animals is usually minimal, just enough to defray medical and sterilization expenses.