Pets

As the coronavirus spreads, some animal shelters and private rescue orgs are throwing up their hands and leaving their animals in the wind -- fortunately for Angelenos, one place isn't.

TMZ called various shelters (which are usually run by local or county governments) as well as rescues (privately run) and it appears most of them are ill-equipped to handle the influx of people looking to foster and/or adopt a dog right now.

We're talking about locations in and around California, Philly, NYC, Chicago, Miami ... by and large, a lot of the calls we placed went straight to voicemail -- which isn't that unusual. But, what is strange is what happened next ... little to no information on ways to get in contact, book appointments or, most importantly, go about taking in a dog from their facility.

It's pretty shocking. Some of these shelters and rescues have voicemails that say "we're closed due to the coronavirus." The obvious question ... what about your dogs??? The sad truth ... a lot of these shelters appear to have thrown in the towel. BTW, more people are looking to foster/adopt than ever ... so there are plenty of potential homes out there.

Enter, L.A.-based private rescue -- Ace of Hearts -- which has NOT closed its doors ... and is actually managing the influx of both dogs and clients pretty well these days. Their voicemail system is organized and clear about how to get in touch, as is their website ... which walks folks through how to go into the dog process.

The rescue's founder, Kari Whitman, tells us ... there has never been a better time to get these poor abandoned pups into a decent home -- 'cause people are, in fact, at home and realizing a pet in their lives wouldn't be such a bad thing right about now.

As such, Kari says she's seeing a massive rush of interest on both ends of the business -- she tells us she's taking in and housing up to 31 dogs in a matter of 3 days (that's the number she'll normally see in 10 weeks) and she's getting up to 40 foster/adoption apps a day.

She tells us she and her staff are working around the clock to get back to everyone, and then to interview them and see which households would be a good fit for which dog. It's a whole lot of work, but Kari says it's a lifestyle, and not one she intends to put on pause.

As for how exactly she goes about pairing dogs to people, she's taking precautions ... doing virtual house checks first, and then bringing the would-be new dog owners to her rescue where they can get to know the doggo. Masks and gloves are worn for this part.

Bottom line ... she hasn't stopped working for the cause. If anything, she's working harder than ever when the demand has never been higher. It's a win-win for both the people and the animals, as far as she's concerned.

Kari says there was one particular shelter out in San Bernardino County's Victor Valley that seemed more inclined to put dogs down than facilitate a transfer to Kari's place ... which might very well be happening at other locations too.

Moral of the story here ... dogs are still sitting in shelters, and some of them are eager to help you make them part of your family. So, doggonit ... adopt or foster a dog today!

Cara Delevingne is the proud new foster parent of an adorable little puppy ... and she's already bringing the pooch on her essential coronavirus errands!!!

The "Suicide Squad" star and her girlfriend, Ashley Benson, hit up Erewhon Market in Los Angeles Thursday afternoon ... stocking up on some quarantine food and showing off their furry friend.

Cara says she's fostering two dogs during coronavirus quarantine, Bowie and Hendrix ... and Ashley carried one over her shoulder as they ventured into the store.

As we reported ... more and more people are adopting and fostering pets during the coronavirus pandemic, giving the adorable animals some much-needed companionship and love, and more importantly, a home.

Cara and Ashley definitely seem to be loving their new pups ... and she's encouraging other folks to follow her lead.

Ben Affleck will tell ya, if he's gonna risk it all ... his new GF, Ana de Armas, is definitely worth it -- hence the couple venturing out together with her pooch.

You can tell Ana and Ben got that new love thing going -- 'cause they were all smiles while out walking the dog Monday afternoon in Los Angeles. They were laughing it up ... finding some momentary joy during the pandemic.

It's true, they're not practicing very good social distancing -- but this could also be a tell-tale sign they're quarantining together. Talk about some getting-to-know-you time!!!

One thing's for sure ... Ben and Ana -- who met on the set of the film, "Deep Water" -- can't get enough of each other. As we've reported ... they were first spotted hanging out in Ana's native country of Cuba.

Not long after, they were all over each other again ... this time Ben playing the perfect Instagram BF role in Costa Rica.

Turns out he's a great dog-walking companion too!

Another poor pooch has tested positive for coronavirus ... this time it's a 2-year-old German shepherd owned by a 30-year-old human also infected with COVID-19.

The second dog likely contracted the virus from its owner in the Pok Fu Lam-area of Hong Kong, and not the other way around ... according to experts.

In fact, both the Paris-based World Organization for Animal Health and the CDC have stated there's no evidence house pets like cats and dogs can spread the virus ... and people should not abandon their animals out of fear.

The German shepherd has been quarantined along with another mixed-breed dog from the same home. According to the the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department ... the other pooch has not tested positive and neither dog has shown any symptoms of coronavirus, so that's good news.

The AFCD will continue monitoring the dogs.

The second positive test comes just days after the first known dog to test positive -- a 17-year-old pomeranian -- died in Hong Kong after returning from quarantine. The dog has tested weak positive and was old, so animal welfare experts have said it may have died from stress or natural causes ... and not from COVID-19.

L.A. is gonna have a ruff time adjusting to new rules if they wanna hike the famed Runyon Canyon ... like not petting other people's dogs to help stave off the spread of the coronavirus.

Hikers are still allowed to hit up the popular trail but they're being urged to follow 4 simple rules to help stem COVID-19 ... and one of the rules explicitly calls for hikers to NOT pet other people's dogs.

As you can see ... hikers are also abiding by perhaps the most important rule, keeping their distance. Hikers seen going up there earlier this week were spotted practicing the rule throughout.

As you know well by now ... California is in a 24-hour lockdown beginning Friday until further notice as cases in the Golden State continue mounting at an alarming rate. The "Safer-at-Home" order calls for the closure of all shopping centers, indoor malls, playgrounds and non-essential business. It also prohibits gatherings of more than 10 people in enclosed spaces.

Residents, however, are allowed to leave their homes to go on walks and get exercise. Good news for hikers, bad news if they're huuuuuge pooch lovers. Call it a sacrifice.

The coronavirus pandemic is negatively impacting almost everyone in the world, but on the bright side -- people are looking for furry friends to keep them company during these social distancing days ... especially families with kids and the elderly.

TMZ spoke with people who run animal shelters across the country, and though they are experiencing challenges like everyone else ... the good news is animal lovers are coming in big numbers to adopt and foster pets.

Nikole Bresciani -- CEO of the Inland Valley Humane Society in Pomona, CA -- tells us ... meeting pets and adoptions are by appointment only now and all applications are online as COVID-19 precautions, but folks are still reaching out.

In fact, Nikole says with kids being home from school, there's been an uptick in families reaching out about adding a cat or dog to their lives ... and more scheduled appointments are on the books for the upcoming week.

The same goes for senior citizens. Randa Richter of SPCA Florida tells us ... they've seen at least a 20 percent increase in elderly people looking to adopt a pet because their normal social activities -- like Bingo -- are all canceled. So, Randa says they want a furry friend to pass the time with at home.

Like Nikole, Randa says there's also an abundance of families with children home from school looking to get the kids out ... so they go visit the pets up for adoption and often end up taking them home. Same goes for a couple with no kids working from home, who now want to add another member to their household ... but not a kid.

On top of this, Randa tells us they've had a huge rise in volunteers -- mostly high school kids who can earn credit for volunteering and now have much more free time, and seniors. The volunteer work includes walking dogs, kitty care and cleaning the facilities.

Finally, Jack Hagerman of the Pasadena Humane Society SPCA tells us ... even though it has shut its physical doors to limit staff and the public to coronavirus exposure, it hasn't closed up shop, and the community has stepped up in a big way to find foster homes for all its animals.

Jack says they've had more people than ever -- 368, which again includes families with kids and the elderly -- reach out and offer to foster animals in need now that it has closed.

Jack says it currently has 180 animals including dogs, cats, bunnies, guinea pigs, and even baby squirrels, and fortunately ... so many people are at home and happy to help. He tells us he hopes the foster pets will all find forever homes soon, especially during these trying times.

It would be a win-win for everyone ... and that's desperately needed right now.

A man from Norway just won the massive Iditarod dog sled race in Alaska ... and was cheered by a roaring, freezing crowd that clearly doesn't give a crap about coronavirus.

Thomas Waerner -- along with his 10 incredible pooches -- crossed the finish line of the great Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race  Wednesday morning in Nome, Alaska after 9 days of hard sledding.

The Iditarod is a grueling competition -- where mushers must cross roughly 1,000 miles of frozen tundra with a team of 10 sled dogs. Crazy stuff.

When Waerner crossed the finished line, he immediately thanked his lead dogs -- K2 and Bark -- and gave his doggies a victory snack.

"This is awesome,'' Waerner said ... "This is something special.''

But, the icy event is now taking TONS of heat after fans refused to heed the coronavirus warnings. There was no social distancing, just partying.

In fact, people were packed together in bars and hotels and at the finish line -- exactly what health experts say we're NOT supposed to be doing right now.