Los Angeles Spay & Neuter Advisory Council 
Recieves Certificates of Recognition from the City Council.

This account is from Laura Beth Heisen, our committee Chairwoman.

First Councilmember Cardenas spoke.  Wow, did he say wonderful things about our Committee!  My favorite is when he said that the report is not only great for Los Angeles, but that it should be a blueprint for other animal control jurisdictions too.  He talked about how many hours we spent on the report, what we do for our professions, he identified each of us by Council District, and he generally glowed brilliantly about us.  

Councilmember Wesson and Councilmember Hahn seemed especially engaged very approvingly in the proceedings. 

Then Kathy Davis spoke very briefly as the LAAS representative.  She said that LAAS embraces our recommendations and they are "heavy into the details" of implementation. 

Then it was my turn. Here are the main points I covered: 

1.  Thanking the Councilmembers. 

2.  Praising the Councilmembers' wisdom in recognizing the importance of community involvement in making animal services a success -- they did that by picking our Committee.  And in so doing, they began building the long-awaited bridge among animal services, city government and the public. 

3.  Saying why it is so important to IMPLEMENT our recommendations.

4.  Telling how terrific our Committee members are. 

Councilmember Cardenas then said something new and important.  He is going to make a motion to extend our Committee, presumably past our current October 30 disbanding date.  No details about this yet. 

Councilmember Cardenas showed everyone the certificates we all got.  Not your usual 8 1/2 x 11 piece of paper with computer graphics.  These are BEAUTIFUL!  They are big, colorful and framed in gold.  (Frames not at taxpayer expense -- does anyone know who pays for them?)

Everyone gushed and thanked everyone, and our presentation was over.    Then we went to the back room of Council Chambers where they had an area for everyone to take photographs with Councilmember Cardenas.     Councilmember Cardenas stood with us while he did a piece for Channel 35 talking about our Committee and the importance of spaying and neutering.
 
You can watch our presentation by going here: 

http://lacity.org/lacity/YourGovernment/CityCouncil/CouncilMeetings/LIVEandON-DEMANDVideo/index.htm

Scroll down quite a bit to the "On Demand City Council Meetings" section.  Click on the option for:

Our presentation is just a few minutes after the meeting begins.

03/31/2009 Los Angeles based trainer Lezle Stein is featured in the Bad Boy Edition of Marley & Me; being released March 31st from Fox Studios- discussing positive reward based training techniques, with loads of tips, and fun ideas for you and your dog !! The Blu-ray will also include a Dog Training Trivia Track, a Dog Training 101 featuring BonusView Video, and a copy of the standard definition DVD. Check it out!!

12/7/2008 Lezle and her dog Jesse get their first blue ribbon at the NCSWA K9 Nose Work Trials! Go Jesse!!

10/2008 Lezle is unanimously re-elected to remain as Director of Animal Welfare for the Arroyo Seco Neighborhood Council.

09/01/2008 Lezle is selected by Councilman Huizars' office to represent District Council 14,  to sit on the board of the City Council Spay/Neuter Advisory Committee. Stay tuned!!

07/25/2008 Lezle receives acculades from Councilman Huizar's office!

07/2007 Lezle appears as an Expert Witness on The Judge Joe Brown show.

02/2006 Lezle is promoted to Co-President of the Friends of Hermon Dog Park!

10/25/2005 Lezle has been elected to be a Board Member for Friends of Hermon Dog Park!

9/22/2005 Lezle has been chosen and elected as The Director of Animal Welfare, for the Arroyo Seco Neighborhood Council!

Congratulations, Lezle!

A graduate of the Animal Behavior and Training Association program, Lezle Stein is AKC-certified as a Canine Good Citizen Evaluator and a professional member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers as well as a member of the Southern California Dog Trainers Forum.

Lezle's extensive experience also includes American Red Cross certification in Pet First Aid and CPR, as well as assistance to Paul Owens' Raise With Praise Program. She has also participated with her own dog, Lucie Bell, in obedience, agility and shepherding training. Lezle is the exclusive trainer for Collar and Leash in Silverlake, and until recently she served as exclusive dog trainer for Petco's Glendale store.

A firm believer in community involvement, Lezle is also a volunteer adoption counselor at North Central Los Angeles city shelter. Lezle has also assisted The Brittany Foundation in training pit bulls through Tia Torres' program from The Villalobos Rescue Center at the East Valley Animal Shelter. Presently she is the volunteer adoption counselor and dog rehabilitator for Downtown Dog Rescue, Los Angeles' rescue group for homeless people and their dogs. Lezle writes a monthly dog training column for the Highland Park News, Glassell Park News and the Mt. Washington Association. She has also studied with Dr. Nancy Scanlon, who specializes in holistic veterinary medicine through acupuncture and herbs.

Lezle continues her education through frequent seminars and training with Lucie Bell, who has become her faithful "demo dog" companion. Also now, Lezle and her dog Jesse are involved in doing fun nose work (sent detection) and agility too!