Santa's visiting New Leash On Life Animal Rescue's "roof"-top early this year for its Holiday Winter Roverland Open House being held at the organization's Education, Rehabilitation and Adoption Center.

Also known as the Ranch, the Education, Rehabilitation and Adoption (E.R.A.) Center offers a safe haven for New Leash On Life rescued animals through their rehabilitation, training, and placement process. The Ranch also provides children and adults with the necessary tools to learn about proper pet care and create awareness through a series of entertaining educational programs and direct interaction with the animals.

The 13-acre property will host the holiday event free of admission, providing guests and their dogs with guided tours of the facilities and a chance to play in the enclosed dog park. Guests can also take part in a raffle for great prizes and the little ones can take a picture with their pet and Santa. Money raised from the event will benefit New Leash On Life's Lend-A-Paw program which trains rescued dogs to become Social/Therapy companions for children with Autism.

"We hope to bring about more awareness to our cause as well as provide a fun and informative day for pet owners through our various pet demonstrations," says Kainani Han, Kennel & Adoption Manager for New Leash On Life and a coordinator of the event.

The public can enjoy training and grooming demos provided by New Leash On Life trained volunteers at timed intervals throughout the day. And Dr. Rick Garcia of Paws and Claws Mobile Vet will be on site to give low-cost vaccinations, micro-chipping, and wellness exams.

Even though the event promises holiday fun for the whole family, Han says holidays can be a hard time for pet adoptions.

"Holidays are not a good time for adoptions because people impulse-buy pets as gifts, and the person getting the gift of a pet may not want the responsibility of caring for that gift." A sad fact that Han says leads to people returning dogs or giving them up to the shelter system.

New Leash On Life is a non-profit animal rescue organization founded in 1997 which rescues dogs from local shelters and educates the public on responsible pet ownership. Dogs are entered into a comprehensive training program to become better citizens, companions, or Social/Therapy pets, with their final destination being permanent placement into a loving home .

"It's our duty to give back to our community as our community has given to us," says New Leash On Life Executive Director Mark Kaufman who is very excited about the Open House. "It's not just an opportunity to open our doors, it's a chance to give back to our neighbors, showing them what we do and helping them with questions and needs they may have with their pet companion."

The New Leash On Life Holiday Winter Roverland Open House takes place on Saturday, December 16 from 11 A.M. - 4 P.M. at the Ranch, 16742 Placerita Canyon Road, Newhall, CA 91321. For more information, to volunteer, or to donate, call New Leash On Life at (661) 255-0097 or go to www.newleash.org.