Quality of Life
Ensure that your shelter's long-term
residents remain happy and healthy.
Transcript from a No More
Homeless Pets forum.

Elizabeth Oreck, Los Angeles Programs Manager

Elizabeth Oreck is the manager of Best Friends' Los Angeles programs. Although she just joined Best Friends in July 2008, Elizabeth has worked in animal welfare for over 10 years. She entered the field as the managing director of Pet Adoption Centers for spcaLA. In addition to managing the programs for Best Friends L.A., she leads pet store demonstrations every weekend for the Puppy-Store-Free L.A. campaign, an effort to educate the public about the connection between pet stores and puppy mills.

She is a wildlife rehabilitator who serves on the board of the California Wildlife Center, as well as the boards of Pets90210 and the Coalition for Pets and Public Safety, which furnished the first mobile spay/neuter clinic in Los Angeles, and which the city of Los Angeles uses to provide free and low-cost spay/neuter and vaccination services in low-income communities.

Because she strongly believes that legislation should be a key component of animal welfare issues and solutions, Elizabeth has worked on several state and local legislative efforts in California. She was the campaign manager for AB1634, a state assembly bill to address the pet overpopulation crisis in California, and currently serves on the advisory committee to oversee the implementation of Los Angeles' landmark spay and neuter ordinance passed in 2008. She is a member of the judging committee for the HSUS Genesis Awards, and is on the Regional Council of the International Fund for Animal Welfare.

A third-generation native of Los Angeles, Elizabeth has lived in New York, Australia and Italy, and runs national and international marathons to raise money for various animal charities. A student of martial arts for 12 years, she has a black belt in Tae Kwon Do and teaches self-defense in a local homeless shelter. She and her partner, Gavin, share a very lively household with eight rescued dogs and cats.