Laguna Niguel’s commitment to being pet-friendly recognized with national certification

Laguna Niguel loves animals! Behind so many of our doors, awaits our beloved and loyal furry friends which are true members of our families. As your mayor and the proud human to two golden retrievers — Bear and Cooper — I truly value our community’s commitment to being pet-friendly.  Your City Council is working to create a safe, fun, and active community for your pets. It is my great pleasure to announce that Laguna Niguel has been certified as a Better City for Pets by the Mars Petcare Better Cities for Pets team. This certification recognizes Laguna Niguel’s commitment to becoming more pet-friendly and taking steps to improve the environment for all our other-than-human friends.

Laguna Niguel is an active community with lots of open spaces and pet-friendly areas allowing for healthy exercise and socialization. Just recently, Laguna Niguel held its first public forum on building an all-new, “state-of-the-bark” (I made that word up) dog park, which was attended by many residents and interested parties. The design concepts presented during that meeting were fantastic and would make a huge impact in our city to replace our existing facility. Admittedly, some arrived at the meeting uncertain of what was to be presented, but everyone left with a great sense of what’s possible and in awe of the proposed designs.  There is a lot to consider but I have asked our staff to move quickly on this project for our community.  All of the proposed designs will be available on our Laguna Niguel website.

For your safety and to avoid confusion or an unsafe environment for both our pets and residents, we have provided signage throughout our city to ensure everyone understands how best to have your pets in public areas. Laguna Niguel also hosts coyote and rattlesnake training workshops so our residents and pets can learn how to avoid or react to unexpected encounters.

As we enjoy the warmth of summer, it is important to remember a few tips to keep your pets safe in the heat. When running errands, it is recommended that you leave your pets at home and never leave them in a hot car. Even if it is only 70 degrees outside, the temperature inside your car can reach more than 120 degrees in just minutes. Also, please be sure to keep your pets hydrated and make sure they have access to water throughout the day. If you notice your pet panting heavily or having glazed eyes, rapid heartbeat, difficulty breathing, lethargy, extreme thirst, dizziness, and excessive salivation, you could be seeing signs of heat stroke.  Please contact your veterinarian immediately, if so.

In preparation of an emergency, it is imperative to have a designated neighbor or friend available to care for your pet if you are not available to do so. Pet owners should have a pet emergency kit ready in case of a disaster. This kit should include enough food and water to last three days, medicine and a first aid kit, collar with ID tag and leash, their carrier, any important documents, a familiar item or toy, and plastic bags to clean up after your pet.

Our pets just make life better. They have such a positive impact on the lives of those around them and, in turn, on the community as a whole. It is only fair that Laguna Niguel does its best to reward them for that and provide an environment where they can thrive alongside our residents.

We are honored to receive recognition for our care and compassion for pets of all kinds. Connect with us on social media to see more of what makes Laguna Niguel a Better City for Pets!

John Mark Jennings is the mayor of Laguna Niguel.