Since 1993, the Lange Foundation’s Halfway Home Kennel has been nestled between automotive repair shops along the busy Sepulveda strip in West LA. This Spanish style building was originally a veterinary office before it became the charming facility where rescued dogs and cats from the overcrowded South LA, North Central, and East Valley shelters reside. Our facilities can house 30 dogs and 80 cats at one time. There is a constant influx of animals entering and exiting the kennel – moving from city shelter to forever home – acting truly as a “halfway home.”
An enclosed outdoor “catio” welcomes visitors with adoptable cats laying in the sun and enjoying the warm LA weather. This outdoor enclosure connects to an indoor room guiding visitors to the front desk. Unlike the city shelters, visitors must check-in with the front staff before proceeding into the kennel. Across the front desk, you can meet our special FIV+ cats in their personalized and private space.
Visitors can browse our available dogs in our adoption books and one of our staff members will bring out the dog for an individual meet-and-greet. We provide a calm and safe environment for the animals by not allowing visitors to walk through the dog kennel. There is an intimate meet-and-greet area that allows adopters to become acquainted with any dog without a barrier or a kennel of barking dogs.
Many amazing volunteers also donate their time with walking the dogs providing them with some much needed exercise and also work with them to feel confidant and loved in this transitional time in their lives. Our volunteers are essential to our rescue and they keep us up-to-date on the health and behavioral improvements of every one of our residents. Interested in volunteering? Check out our Volunteer page.
The Halfway Home Kennel’s cat hall has five enclosures that are open for visitors to freely explore and spend time inside in order to meet their new family member. There are four rooms and an indoor-outdoor enclosure, an atrium (with a live tree growing through the center). All areas have cat trees, scratching posts, and toys to provide our cats with plenty of enrichment and fun. Volunteers also frequent the cat enclosures helping to give them the attention they need with grooming, affection, and playtime.
This kennel also has an isolation ward and a treatment center. Bringing animals straight from shelters can bring unwarranted viruses and infections that could easily spread throughout the kennel. Keeping those animals in isolation keeps the kennel healthy. The kennel’s treatment center also offers itself as a pristine environment for those animals recovering from surgeries, illnesses, or other health problems. The Lange Foundation is dedicated to rescuing those that need help the most: the sick and injured. Therefore, a treatment center is vital for such recoveries.
Where the kennel may lack in ornate decor, it makes up with a cozy atmosphere where cats are cage free and dogs feel the safety of 24/7 supervision by the staff and maintenance crew. A lot of time and resources are put in to keeping each animal healthy and happy, and it is energy well spent after seeing decades of happy endings at this facility.