Its mission is to provide those second chances through rescue, community outreach programs and collaborative shelter initiatives. K9 Kismet. officials say, believes in compassionate rescue, especially for dogs who might be considered less adoptable because of age, health, emotional state or breed.<\/p>\n
\u201cEleven years ago, we were just a small group of people who wanted to help some dogs,\u201d Nici Daniels, executive director of K9 Kismet, said in a written statement. \u201cIt\u2019s pretty surreal to look back at everything that\u2019s happened since. We\u2019re incredibly proud of the hundreds of dogs and families we\u2019ve been able to help over the years, but more than anything, we\u2019re grateful.\u201d<\/p>\n
Reaching 11 years, Daniels added, is a celebration of every foster, volunteer, adopter, donor, trainer, veterinarian and community partner who has believed in the nonprofit\u2019s mission.<\/p>\n
And in recognition of its 11 years in the community and to raise money for its various programs, K9 Kismet will host a fundraising event this weekend, called \u201cPaws, Pours, and Piano Wars.\u201d The evening will include a performance by the Killer Dueling Pianos, food, drinks, and raffles.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is our first big party-style fundraiser, so we\u2019re especially excited about it,\u201d Daniels said. \u201cWe hope it will be a chance for our longtime supporters to celebrate what we\u2019ve accomplished together, and give us a chance to make some new friends.\u201d<\/p>\n
Throughout the years, the nonprofit has changed the way in which it helps, the executive director said. Traditional rescue and foster care are still a huge part of what it does, but now the nonprofit has also created programs focused on keeping pets with the families who already love them and preventing dogs from entering the shelter system in the first place.<\/p>\n
![\"K9](\"https:\/\/www.presstelegram.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/LPT-L-LB-GIVES-0920-03.jpg?w=620\")
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K9 Kismet Dog Rescue Director Nici Daniels with Levi, a rescue dog up for adoption, at the local nonprofit\u2019s Long Beach Gives Day event on Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024, at the Zoom Room. (Photo by Christina Merino, Press-Telegram\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n
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The K9 Kismet Dog Rescue pose with one of their rescue dogs up for adoption, Levi, during their Long Beach Gives Day event on Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024, at the Zoom Room. (Photo by Christina Merino, Press-Telegram\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n
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K9 Kismet Dog Rescue Director Nici Daniels with Levi, a rescue dog up for adoption, at the local nonprofit\u2019s Long Beach Gives Day event on Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024, at the Zoom Room. (Photo by Christina Merino, Press-Telegram\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n
Expand<\/a><\/p>\n K9 Kismet has programs that provide pet food, supplies and veterinary care to families facing hardship, helping them keep the pets they love at home, Daniels said. It also works closely with the municipal shelter, Long Beach Animal Care Services, supporting on-campus enrichment and foster efforts, as well as initiatives that give long-stay dogs a better chance at being seen and ultimately adopted.<\/p>\n The nonprofit\u2019s DIESEL Project, for example, supports shelter dogs who struggle in kennel environments, pairing them with professional trainers, and giving them structured guidance to help build their confidence and move forward toward adoption, according to its website.<\/p>\n \u201cThe program provides professional training and additional support to LBACS long-stay dogs while also investing in the shelter volunteers who work with them,\u201d Daniels said. \u201cSo far, 15 dogs have gone through the program, and all 15 have been adopted. Along the way, shelter volunteers have received hands-on training and practical skills they can use to make a difference for countless other dogs.\u201d<\/p>\n Other programs include the K9 Kismet Amigos Program, which provides lifesaving care for dogs whose families need financial assistance during a medical emergency, and Forever Fosters, which provides homes for dogs with terminal or ongoing medical needs. Through that latter program, the nonprofit covers supplies and veterinary care to ensure comfort and quality of life for the dogs.<\/p>\n Through these various programs, as well as adoptions and fosters, K9 Kismet has helped more than 500 dogs find homes, according to its website.<\/p>\n \u201cFor us, growth has never been measured by how big we become as an organization,\u201d Daniels said. \u201cIt\u2019s measured by the dogs we\u2019re able to help, the humans we\u2019re able to support and the difference we can make in the community we love.\u201d<\/p>\n This weekend\u2019s fundraiser, meanwhile, will take place from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 29, at the music and event space At the Top, 105 W. Broadway, in downtown Long Beach.<\/p>\n Tickets, which cost $75, are limited and must be purchased in advance. To do so, go to givebutter.com\/pawspoursandpianowars<\/a>.<\/p>\n Proceeds from the event will help K9 Kismet continue its work for dogs in the community, and help provide veterinary care, food and supplies; training and behavioral support; and other resources that support dogs in the community.<\/p>\n \u201cMedical care is one of our biggest expenses,\u201d Daniels said. \u201cWe frequently take on senior dogs and dogs with complex medical needs, the ones who are often overlooked at the shelter or harder to place simply because helping them comes with a higher price tag. We help remove that barrier.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery donation gives us the ability to say yes more often,\u201d she added. \u201cYes to the surgery. Yes to the senior dog. Yes to the family trying to keep their beloved pet at home. Yes to the shelter dog who just needs a little more support to get their chance. Community support is what makes those yeses possible.\u201d<\/p>\n If someone is unable to attend Saturday\u2019s event, there are other ways to support K9 Kismet Dog Rescue. Donations and volunteers, for example, are always welcome, Daniels said, but one of the greatest needs right now is foster homes. To learn more about how to become a foster home, visit k9kismet.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Long Beach volunteers at K9 Kismet Dog Rescue have helped place hundreds of furry, four-legged friends in safe,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":445210,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[7,3782,3739,131,133,132,137,3738],"class_list":["post-445209","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-long-beach","tag-california","tag-grunion-kindness","tag-grunion-news","tag-long-beach","tag-long-beach-headlines","tag-long-beach-news","tag-los-angeles-county","tag-the-grunion"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/445209","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=445209"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/445209\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/445210"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=445209"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=445209"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=445209"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}