Lifestyle
Commentary: Five months after wildfires, it's still PTSD for animals: Pets trying to shake depression
Now and again, while walking Philly near the Rose Bowl, I bump into a dog trainer named Eldon, who generously offers pointers.
My cheesesteak-shaped beagle used to go on strike during walks, but he’s improving thanks in part to Eldon’s tips. I wanted to write about that, but Eldon said he’s mostly retired and doesn’t need the publicity. His only new clients, he told me, are dogs who are still struggling with PTSD from the Eaton wildfire in January.
Come on, I implored. That’s a story on its own.
Steve Lopez
Steve Lopez is a California native who has been a Los Angeles Times columnist since 2001. He has won more than a dozen national journalism awards and is a four-time Pulitzer finalist.
Maybe so, Eldon said. Dogs are creatures of habit, he reminded me, as much as humans — or more. They like their homes, their neighborhoods, their familiar smells and routines. Rip all of that away overnight, and they’re knocked off balance.
Eldon suggested I call Natalie Langan, owner of Trailhead Hounds, because her clients include displaced Altadenans and their discombobulated dogs. When Eldon showed me a photo of Langan, I realized I’d seen her running pack hikes on the Gabrielino Trail above the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, with a garrison of 30 or more dogs in four-legged lockstep.
“I would say roughly a quarter of all the dogs we pick up for our pack hikes are dogs from Altadena who lost their homes,” Langan told me when I called.
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Some dogs — and cats — have made multiple moves since the fire and had to get used to new surroundings over and over again. That can put them on edge and heighten their separation anxiety, Langan said, and if their owners are depressed or grief-stricken about loss and uncertainty, the animals absorb those emotions too.
“Dogs see the world in patterns. That’s how we’re able to train them,” said Langan, who advises clients who lost their homes to establish new routines for their pets. “The No. 1 thing is to create a new normal, and that’s for humans as well. My parents lost their home to the fire and I’ve been helping them” build structure into their days and stay on the move.
When I first wrote about the impact of the fires on dogs, cats, chickens and goldfish, I noted that Anthony Ruffin and Jonni Miller’s dog and two cats were badly shaken. Especially Mr. Thelma, a cat who refused to go outdoors at their temporary rental in La Crescenta.
Dogs wait patiently as the water bowls are filled following their walk at Crescenta Valley Community Regional Park.
(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
Miller reports that Mr. Thelma, who was found wandering in the rubble of their yard several days after their home on West Palm Street in Altadena was destroyed, is OK, but still won’t go outside.
I also checked back in with Jessica Davis, who runs Boomer’s Buddies, a Malibu animal rescue that helped families track down strays that were scattered by the Palisades fires. She said multiple moves to temporary quarters have been particularly hard on pets.
“Yes, they can be resilient, but some animals carry trauma and they want to be back where they were,” Davis said. “We’re starting to see a surge of people saying, ‘I lost everything and can’t keep my animal’” until getting resettled.
Davis said she’s currently trying to find someone to foster a Bernese mountain dog.
In Altadena, Sharon Moon and Kimbop, her 14-year-old Pomeranian, used to enjoy regular neighborhood gatherings with dogs and their owners, and Moon’s mother would join her and Kimbop on sunset hikes along the Crest Trail.
“Everything is gone,” said Moon, including her home. She’s staying in Silver Lake, planning to rebuild in Altadena, and Kimbop is doing pretty well but still adjusting to different sights and missing her friends. “We all used to have so much fun gathering and chatting [in Altadena]. It was our little enclave away from all the madness.”
Meghan Malloy and her family, who lost their home in Altadena, moved three times before settling into a rental in Sherman Oaks. It hasn’t been easy, because Malloy and her husband have a newborn, two cats (Felix and Mushu) and two golden retrievers (Arthur and Clementine).
The cats are OK and so is Arthur, but he misses his yard and his friends.
And then there’s Clementine, who was “a little anxious” before the fire, and more so ever since.
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1. Natalie Langan, a co-owner of Trailhead Hounds. 2. Assistant trainer Soyun Ahn gets a kiss from Gus. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
“She has been absolutely velcroed to me or my husband’s side,” Malloy said. “She was always a pack dog, and had to be with people, and with Arthur. But she has been so clingy, and gets so upset to be left alone.”
Levi, a 4-year-old mutt, suffered through “a month of real instability,” said owner Jenn Burt, as they moved into temporary quarters with a series of friends in the Pasadena area. “Having to get used to a new place every week … and not knowing what the rules were in each of the houses … was quite hard,” said Burt.
Levi had enjoyed sofa privileges in Altadena, but those rights did not travel with him. He’s improving, but he’s still more anxious than he used to be and rattled by fireworks in the nightly warm-up for Fourth of July.
Boudica, a shepherd mix, is “definitely traumatized,” said Katie Jordan. When they lost their Altadena home, she, her teenage son, two cats and Boudica tried squeezing into her boyfriend’s one-bedroom apartment, but it was a tight fit, and a rental in Glendale has been better.
Jordan once took Boudica back to their destroyed neighborhood in Altadena, before debris was removed, and realized that might not have been a good idea. “It was heartbreaking,” Jordan said. “She just ran around whining, like she was so confused.”
Ruby, a Doberman pinscher displaced by the Eaton fire, rolls in the grass.
(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
There is one activity, though, that always brings relief to Boudica: “Being in a big pack is her dream, and she feels so safe,” Jordan said.
I know what Jordan means. Philly gets excited every time we get within three blocks of dropping him off with dog handler Burke Stuart, of Man’s Best Friend, so he can run around with his pack.
On Wednesday morning, Boudica joined 23 other dogs on a Trailhead Hounds hike at Crescenta Valley Community Regional Park. Langan was joined by two other trainers: her husband, Chase Langan, and Soyun Ahn.
Boudica had a lot in common with Cosmo, Freckles, Lucy, Ruby and Levi, all of whom either lost their homes or were forced to move out temporarily. But I couldn’t have picked them out as the ones with issues. Tails were wagging and most of the dogs had that expression that looks like a smile, mouth half-open, tongue dangling. With plenty of grass, trees, dirt and hints of scatological delights in the air, they were in dog paradise.
The dogs are all trained not to pull on the leash, to stay in formation and to steer clear of rattlesnakes by sight, sound or scent. It was all very impressive, but I kept thinking Philly — who travels nose to the ground, zigzagging through the world — would have been kicked out of class.
Natalie Langan, center, sets out with assistant trainer Soyun Ahn on a walk at Crescenta Valley Community Regional Park.
(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
About halfway through the hike, the dogs went off leash but stayed close. Two of them wrestled on the grass, and a few climbed onto a twisted tree trunk to pose for a group photo that would be sent to the owners.
All in all, it was a pretty therapeutic way to start the day. And not just for the dogs.
steve.lopez@latimes.com
The Kennedy Center on June 28, with its facade signage still covered by a tarp and scaffolding.
Alex Wroblewski/AFP via Getty Images
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Alex Wroblewski/AFP via Getty Images
On Wednesday, a federal appeals court denied President Trump’s request to stop the removal of his name from Washington, D.C.’s Kennedy Center. The signage on the building has been covered with tarp and scaffolding since June 13, but in a court filing last month, the center’s current executive director said that Trump’s name has been removed.
In their decision, three judges from the U.S. District Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit said that the president had failed to prove that the arts center would be “irreparably injured” without Trump’s name attached to it.
NPR requested comment from the Kennedy Center, but did not receive an immediate reply.
This latest round of court decisions is part of the ongoing litigation filed by Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, against President Trump and the board of the Kennedy Center. In a statement emailed Wednesday to NPR, Beatty said: “Today’s ruling again affirms that this administration’s efforts to rename the Kennedy Center were unlawful. His name no longer desecrates this sacred memorial, which belongs to the American people. Now it is time for the Trump administration to accept this, comply with the law, and take the tarps down.”
In previous court filings, Trump’s legal team had asserted that removing the president’s name from the arts complex, both on the physical building and in its digital materials, would inflict irreparable harm in both time and money already spent. In the denial, the three judges — Patricia Millett, Robert Wilkins and Gregory Katsas — wrote that since Trump’s name has already been removed, “a stay would not avert those harms.”
Furthermore, Trump had claimed that without his name attached, future fundraising would be threatened “and [will] contribute to the financial decline of the Center.” In response, the appeals judges wrote: “Appellants, however, have failed to support this assertion with any specific facts or evidence. They offer only the conclusory assertions of the Kennedy Center’s Executive Director that were made in a factually unsupported declaration.” The center’s current executive director, Matt Floca, specializes in physical plant management.
The presiding judge in the case, Christopher R. Cooper, has ordered that the center provide him a status report on the center’s operation and programming before the end of this month. As of Wednesday, the center’s calendar lists a small roster of programs, including outdoor free movie screenings, workshops for children, and five free live performances in July on its Millennium Stage. In the past, the Kennedy Center presented over 2,000 arts and education events each year, including free daily Millennium Stage performances.
Lifestyle
A meal with an animated Mona Lisa? Immersive dining goes high tech — but will L.A. eat it up?
My dinner course is served. It is a Campbell’s-inspired soup can, lightly angled so strands of broccoli are peeking out. I lift the can to uncover a slow-braised short rib and mashed potatoes. An American dish to represent an American artist, here Andy Warhol.
The room is overtaken with projections, scenes of bustling New York traffic paired with bachelor-pad-like guitar riffs. Shown on a wall above a dinner table is a selection of Warhol silkscreens. It’s a Friday night in West Hollywood, and I’m surrounded by a mix of out-of-towners and those celebrating an anniversary. And while this is a special occasion, we’re urged to get a little messy with our food — to use our hands, to paint with a salad, to draw on a cookie.
The main course: A tomato soup can? “7 Paintings” is an immersive event that occasionally hides dishes in artist-inspired presentations.
(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)
Play is the primary side dish at “7 Paintings,” a tech-infused dinner theater that aims to be a crash course in fine art. That selection of veggies paired with multiple mini cups of colorful dressings? Guests are encouraged to mix and match the vinaigrettes into a mess of hues, a nod to abstractionist Jackson Pollock. And yellowfin tuna with dashes of avocado and taro chips? That’s an edible tribute to Banksy, of course. What does raw fish have to do with stenciled street art? It’s bold, heavily angled and has a short shelf life? Maybe? Perhaps don’t overthink it.
Even the paper is edible.
(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)
“Have you ever eaten a painting before?” says Nadine Beshir, the Dubai-based creator of “7 Paintings.” “We try to get people out of their comfort zones and eating paper. I want to bring out the child in them.”
“7 Paintings,” held at Sunset House L.A. through the end of August, is the latest example of immersive dining to arrive in this city. These experiences often involve guest participation and are accentuated with advanced multimedia technology and sometimes theatrical elements.
Worldwide, there have been standouts. For instance, Eatrenalin at Germany’s Europa-Park, a dining room-meets-ride where participants are whisked around the space on trackless “floating chairs,” has just received a coveted Michelin star. Ibiza’s Sublimotion has similar haute ambitions, pairing 12 diners together in a room that will come alive with otherworldly projections and performers. At times, diners will win don virtual reality headgear.
But tech-driven immersive dining experiences have never quite taken off in Los Angeles as a trend. Last year, the Gallery, where fantastical cityscapes and projections surrounded downtown L.A. diners, stood just a couple months before the concept was abandoned.
“7 Paintings” pairs food with art and music. It’s “fun dining, not fine dining,” says its founder.
(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)
Bartender Luca Famulari shakes a cocktail at the immersive dining event.
(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)
“The economics of a restaurant are not the same as the economics of theater and the challenge of combining the two lies in thinking outside the box with respect to pricing and cost structure, such that the customer perceives high value from both the food and the experience,” says the Gallery co-founder Daren Ulmer.
Entrepreneurs keep aiming for that careful balance. “Le Petit Chef and Friends” is currently running at Tangier at downtown’s Hotel Figueroa, an event in which a fully animated film is projected on our plates and tables. Long-running pop-up event Fork N’ Film leans more dinner and movie, pairing dishes directly inspired by what is happening on screen. Upcoming films include “Ratatouille” and “Lilo and Stitch.”
The field comes with challenges. “The costs are very high,” says Joanna Garner, an immersive designer and former creative director with experiential art firm Meow Wolf. Garner has been experimenting herself with communal, immersive dinner events, and her next, the flirtatious “Please Open Your Mouth,” is set for July 11. (No tech there, as Garner is after a more sensual, adult-focused gathering.) Tickets for her event are $150 and a spot in the “7 Paintings” dining room runs $175, priced on par with a number of city’s most acclaimed restaurants.
There is also the reality that all public dining is in some fashion immersive, usually requiring varying combinations of engagement, communication and presentation. And then, are all these added elements distracting?
An animated Mona Lisa sits on the wall as guests enjoy their meals. Throughout the dinner, the painting provides factoids on various artists.
(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)
Throughout “7 Paintings,” for instance, an animated Mona Lisa, situated on the wall next to the main dinner table, will provide brief biographical details of each artist represented.
“Being able to nail the food, and nail the story, those are two very difficult threads to weave,” Garner says. “I do think, ultimately, people come to a dinner table to talk to the people at the table and to have intimate experiences. To have an experience where you’re constantly being taken away from the food, I’m not so sure if that’s what people are looking for.”
Food is framed as a star of “7 Paintings” but tasting it is just one component. At one point, we must uncover a cheese course in a tiny treasure chest, the code for the lock hidden in the projections (don’t stress, it’s not a hard puzzle). Beshir highlights the Pollock-inspired salad course, which is accentuated with a jazz soundtrack, as the thesis of the evening.
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1. A guest uses a silicon brush to apply sauces onto an entree, a nod to abstractionist Jackson Pollock. 2. Projections fill up the dining table during meals.
“This course is really about getting people to free their minds from preconceived ideas,” Beshir says. “Like, you have to eat with a fork and knife, or the salad comes and then the dressing. No, the dressing comes and then the salad, and it’s trying with big brushes to paint the way he did. A lot of people do not understand Abstract Expressionism, and they think it’s people just splashing colors around. But when you understand the link between the rhythm of the music and painting, you live it. We give you time to paint with your salad dressing.”
In L.A., Beshir has partnered with nightlife impresario Kim Kelly, who is plotting a “Sleep No More”-inspired walk-around theatrical show for the Sunset House venue later this year. “7 Paintings,” however, is fully seated, and purposefully a little silly. Beshir and Kelly have been evolving it during its L.A. run, recently adding a stronger painting component by giving guests their own canvas to work on throughout the evening. Each night crowns a winner.
“Everyone comes over to look at their art,” Kelly says. “It just kind of changed the whole thing, to be honest. People are now being creative throughout the entire evening. Instead of just watching and occasionally painting, you’re now painting the whole time.”
As for what, perhaps, soba noodles with edamame and mushrooms have to do with Pablo Picasso, or why Salvador Dali gets an unexpected dessert course of a white chocolate potato souffle, Beshir clarifies the goal of the evening. While the animated Mona Lisa will provide backstories on each painter, this isn’t an educational night. “It’s fun dining, not fine dining,” Beshir says.
And by the end of my night, strangers were socializing, showing off their painted cookie creations, sharing Banksy tidbits and asking for recommendations on various vinaigrette combinations. Ultimately, it’s an evening of discovery, packed with surprises like finding an entire course hidden under a canvas.
Darryl Mayes of Charlotte, N.C., left, and Taylor Smith of North Hollywood, right, uncover their course.
(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)
“We try not to have too much sophistication, like fried ants or something. I’m personally very adventurous in how I eat, but if I want to have this in 100 cities around the world, I cannot be too meticulous.”
And Beshir has big goals.
“I want this be your movie and dinner thing,” Beshir says. “I want people to be waiting for our next show, and to be able to afford to come every couple months.”
And to come home not with leftovers, but perhaps a painting of their own.
Matthew Rhys was nominated for his role in Widow’s Bay.
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The 2026 Emmy nominations are here. We’re unpacking the record-breaking nominations for Hacks, plus a big day for Widow’s Bay, The Pitt, and The Bear. We’ll also talk about the snubs and make some early predictions of who will win.
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