The City of West Hollywood’s Picasso Pets event will kick-off with the swearing-in of the City’s First Pet Mayor, Chloe Shyne, on Saturday, April 1, 2023 at 11 a.m. at West Hollywood Park, located at 647 N. San Vicente Boulevard.

The City’s Pet Mayor is a new program approved by the City Council of the City of West Hollywood in December 2022. As part of the program, the Mayor may choose to have their pet (dog, cat, or another animal companion) serve as the Pet Mayor during their mayoral term. The intent of the City’s Pet Mayor program is to enhance support for the West Hollywood community’s animals and animal guardians and help bring awareness to the City’s ongoing efforts and initiatives focused on animal welfare.

The City’s Pet Mayor will include pawsome responsibilities including taking part in events and initiatives centered on the well-being of pets in the community. The Pet Mayor will also be tasked with attending appropriate meetings and events, which may include attending fundraisers in support of animal rescue organizations, making fur-ever friends, wishing folks ‘bone appetit’ at dog-friendly establishments in West Hollywood, and other forms of community engagement.

Chloe is an eight-year-old rescue dog and the animal companion to the City’s current Mayor, Sepi Shyne. Chloe is a Shih Tzu, Chihuahua, Toy Poodle, and Maltese mix. She has been a resident of West Hollywood since 2014 and is a natural-born leader and big sister to two cat siblings. She is a foodie and loves to dance and give high fives.

Picasso Pets will provide an opportunity for pet parents to meet Chloe, as well as celebrate their own beloved best friend with a professional pet caricature drawing, giveaways, and a DIY craft paw-print keepsake. Caricature artists hours are fixed and there is a limit of one caricature drawing per pet during this first-come, first-served activity (no pre-registration required). Pets must remain leashed and under the control of their human at all times. No ruff housing!

The Pet Mayor swearing-in ceremony and the Picasso Pets event are free and open to the public. In case of rain, the event will take place inside West Hollywood Park’s Aquatic and Recreation Center, in the Doheny Room located on the second floor (which is adjacent to the surface level of West Hollywood Park).

The City of West Hollywood has been on the forefront of animal rights and protections for decades and the City’s commitment to animal rights is one of its legacies. The City has consistently worked to enact leading-edge animal welfare legislation. 

In 1989, the West Hollywood City Council passed Resolution 558 making West Hollywood a “Cruelty-Free Zone” for animals. This action was then followed by West Hollywood’s move to secure animal care service policies that included a no-kill policy for stray and abandoned animals. The City also focused its efforts on raising awareness about the availability of thousands of abandoned animals at shelters waiting to be adopted, even sponsoring local adoption fairs at City parks — a tradition that continues to this day.  

In 2004, the West Hollywood City Council passed an Ordinance to ban the practice of declawing cats, thereby making West Hollywood the first City in North America to ban this procedure. In 2008, the City of West Hollywood adopted a Resolution supporting Proposition 2, which led to a statewide standard in the caging of chickens; in 2009, the West Hollywood City Council took a stand against puppy-mills and the sale of dogs in local stores that came from such mills. The City of West Hollywood’s Ordinance prohibiting the sale of fur established that it is “unlawful to sell, offer for sale, display for sale, import, export, trade, or distribute any fur product by any means anywhere within the City of West Hollywood on or after September 21, 2013.” This Ordinance was approved by the West Hollywood City Council in November 2011 and, in August 2015, the Ordinance was amended.

The City of West Hollywood invites canine members of the community and their humans to sniff out a spot and romp around at the City’s two dog parks at West Hollywood Park. A small dog park and large dog park are located on each side of the park’s basketball courts and each area features expanses of open space with shade trees, small mounds and turf terraces, and water stations. In addition, the City operates the William S. Hart Park and Off-Leash Dog Park located at 8341 De Longpre Avenue.

For more information about the City of West Hollywood’s Pet Mayor, please contact Jennifer Del Toro, the City of West Hollywood’s Community and Legislative Affairs Supervisor, at (323) 848-6549 or at jdeltoro@weho.org. For people who are Deaf or hard of hearing, please call TTY (323) 848-6496.

For up-to-date information about City of West Hollywood news and events, follow @wehocity on social media, sign-up for news updates at www.weho.org/email, and visit the City’s calendar of meetings and events at www.weho.org/calendar. The City of West Hollywood remains in a declared local emergency in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. West Hollywood City Hall is open for walk-in services at public counters or by appointment by visiting www.weho.org/appointments. City Hall services are accessible by phone at (323) 848-6400 and via website at www.weho.org. The City’s coronavirus updates are available at www.weho.org/coronavirus.

For reporters and members of the media seeking additional information about the City of West Hollywood, please contact the City of West Hollywood’s Public Information Officer, Sheri A. Lunn, at (323) 848-6391 or slunn@weho.org.