Matchmaker for the Four-legged Set

Groomer Lynn Sofranco tends to a customer at Animal Crackers pet supply while owner Gina Kantzabedian provides a perch for feathered friend. Her sideline placing rescued dogs is outstripping store sales. Recently, a local contractor often accompanied on the job by his dog finds work harder to come by. When he finally landed a job, his canine companion wasn’t welcome. The contractor can’t leave him home because he barks, nor can he afford doggie day care.

Enter 23-year Laguna Beach resident Gina Kantzabedian, owner of Animal Crackers pet shop, in the Albertson’s shopping center, and founder of Animal Crackers Pet Rescue. “He came to me in tears,” said Kantzabedian, a self-described “sucker,” who now looks after the little pooch gratis when his owner goes to work. What else could she do?

Anecdotes about Kantzabedian’s over-the-top benevolence toward four-legged critters abound, as do the testimonies of satisfied owners who have adopted pets from her, including council member Kelly Boyd. “I think she’s a great lady and the dogs we got from her are great,” he said. “She’s very devoted to what she does.”

Her renowned soft heart for animals as well as providing a service not offered elsewhere, have made Kantzabedian the default pet rescue option for many locals. Yet her unconditional generosity to Laguna’s furry companions may undermine her business unless more pet owners reciprocate with their patronage.

Kantzabedian, who, at 43, has been rescuing pets for 20 years, took over Animal Crackers five and a half years ago, expecting proceeds from the shop, which stocks pet food and accessories as well as providing grooming services, would cover the costs of her rescue efforts. It almost did for the first two years, but now she is running in the red even as more people are surrendering their animals to her. “It’s crazy,” she said.

Animal Crackers’ had a bit of a rocky start when, in 2005, the store was cited for an illegal ferret and its grooming license briefly suspended. The issue has since been resolved, according to Kantzabedian, whose ongoing pet rescue efforts have not earned further reprimands.

Despite news accounts about pet abandonment due to home foreclosures, most traditional rescue facilities in the area are not experiencing an influx. Indeed, Ryan Drabek, interim director of the OC Animal Care Center in Orange, said their intake declined by 5,000 pets last year.

Likewise, Laguna Beach resident and veterinarian Matthew Wheaton, who has a practice in Mission Viejo, said his nonprofit Pet Rescue Center saw a spike in rescues early in 2009, which has since declined.

The Laguna Beach Animal Shelter also has not experienced marked increases in strays, said volunteer Elizabeth Bauer. The local shelter only accepts lost or abandoned pets picked up by Laguna Beach animal control officers, not pets people want to relinquish or can’t keep.

Wheaton admits that it’s “very, very challenging” for owners to find a home for a pet they can no longer care for. The online forum Craig’s List can work for people with enough time to post information and field responses. Also, some rescue groups and shelters, such as the Laguna Beach Animal Shelter, maintain a “courtesy list” of pets that people are trying to find homes for.

Wheaton’s Pet Rescue Center, which provides temporary sanctuary for pets at risk of euthanasia, doesn’t generally accept “drop-offs” except in extreme circumstances.

The OC Animal Care Center refuses no pet, but 50 percent are euthanized before they are adopted.

Then there is Animal Crackers, which rescued 200 animals in 2009. Kantzabedian estimates that about 80 percent of her rescues come from “high kill” shelters, as far away as Los Angeles and even Kern County, but the rest come from local residents who can’t keep their animal.

She charges nothing for the adoption of her rescues, even though they are spayed and neutered and up to date on all their shots. “We don’t believe in selling animals,” she explained. “We do matchmaking.” What’s more, she offers a year of free grooming, a bonus for the adopter and a way for Kantzabedian to keep tabs on how her former charge is being cared for.

Mallory McCamant, board president of the nonprofit Friends of Laguna Beach Dog Park, said Kantzabedian’s generosity extends beyond pet rescues. When the friends were gathering support to halt a proposed skate park from infringing on dog park space, she said Kantzabedian was the single largest gatherer of petition signatures. And she subsequently became the largest supporter of FLBDP’s annual fundraising event, McCamant said.

“I’ve become the 411” for pet problems in Laguna, said Kantzabedian, who realizes not enough pet lovers recognize Animal Crackers as a community resource. (Store proceeds are donated to Animal Crackers Pet Rescue, which is in the process of obtaining its 501(c) (3) status.) A woman came in recently asking for help in putting a special harness on her dog. Kantzabedian was glad to help, even when she saw from the box that the harness had been purchased at PetSmart, even though Animal Crackers sells the same product for less. “It kind of hurts you that people just want to use you,” she said.

Like other merchants, Kantzabedian’s plea is for Laguna residents to show their support by shopping locally. She doesn’t need to make profit; she just needs to be able to pay the rent.

If Animal Crackers closed, said McCamant, “a piece of Laguna’s spirit would be gone forever – the spirit of service and passion for something that makes us all a little better.”