New in 2017: Annenberg PetSpace

The Playa Vista destination will serve as a "community center" for animal aficionados.

"Annenberg" is a name seen throughout Southern Californian, from the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills to the Annenberg Space for Photography in Culver City. 

And while Sunnylands, the fabled Rancho Mirage estate, doesn't have "Annenberg" in its name, it is an architectural gem belonging to the philanthropic family (a gem that can be visited, thanks to oversight by the Annenberg Foundation).

Next up for the foundation? The Wallis Annenberg PetSpace, "a unique new community center" devoted to animals, the humans who adore them, and a number of programs that lend love and knowledge to how we share our lives, and this world, with our pets.

Is it a pet store? No. Is it an adoption center? Adoptions will be a key feature, but thinking of PetSpace as a course-rich, play-centered meet-place for people and their pets is a solid initial outlook.

Wallis Annenberg reveals that "the new initiative couldn't be closer to my heart," as the destination will help to "save animals' lives through education and adoption..." as well as "...help make our communities more animal-friendly." 

Opening in the first part of 2017 near Silicon Beach in Playa Vista, the community center will boast several components, from the already-mentioned adoptions to training classes to talks about policies that focus on animals, nature, and "the science and origins of the human-animal bond."

Human Animal Studies will be one of the main engines of PetSpace, and a number of regional nature and science organizations will work in partnership with the Annenberg Foundation to enhance PetSpace's myriad programs and offerings.

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The breadth of the expected programs is impressive, with many spotlighting pets in the workplace, pets as assistants and helpers, and other issues that boast a gravitas not often seen in how we approach thinking about pets, their needs, and how the world views them.

It's a place of play, of course, and study, and hanging out with your hound. Not every community center allows dogs, but the Wallis Annenberg PetSpace is a community center where the canine is both invited and welcomed.

In fact, they're the star guests, and we people are there to learn, serve as trustworthy companions, and know better where our tail-boasting buddies stand.

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