Laguna Hills Animal Shelter

by Kings Animation Februari 12, 2024 Posting Komentar

Hours & Directions

LAGUNA HILLS – Animal activists – crusading for a new shelter in South County – say a recent city study on animal services passes the buck to the county and neglects to use valuable insight from thousands of concerned citizens.

Jean Bland, founder of the South County Animal Shelter Coalition – a 5, 000 member group of activists focused on creating a new shelter in South County – was one of many dismayed with results of an animal services study presented at Tuesday night’s City Council meeting.

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“It’s evident that in almost four years they’ve produced nothing, ” said Bland. “In the private sector they’d be out of a job.”

Hours & Directions

The city’s study – the first of three to be released by South County cities served by the Orange County Animal Services – concludes that since there is no support from other South County cities to form a Joint County Powers Animal Services Authority, the only option for animal services is to stay with the county. Lake Forest and Aliso Viejo are expected to present their animal care findings next week.

The report, approved on a 4-1 vote, supports increasing the pressure on the county to build a $30 million shelter at the former MCAS El Toro in Tustin and a possible satellite shelter in Santa Ana. It also encourages enhanced field services if neighboring cities like Lake Forest and Aliso Viejo – also served by the county shelter – are in agreement. The city will also encourage an aggressive spay and neuter program to be placed at the county. Attempts to partner with other area shelters like Mission Viejo, Irvine, Laguna Beach or San Clemente were dismissed as too costly or unavailable options.

“It’s apparent that all other city options are effectively closed, ” said Assistant City Manager Don White, who has researched the topic since 2005. “To continue this would not result in productive improvement in Laguna Hills.”

Pups And Pints Adoption Event

Since December coalition members have filled city council meetings, passed out fliers and conducted surveys. Coalition members in the four cities – Laguna Hills, Aliso Viejo, Lake Forest and Rancho Santa Margarita – are concerned about what they call the county shelter’s high kill rate, failure to respond quickly and uncooperative staff members, as well as the long drive to the shelter.

“We continue to do the best we can with our resources available, ” said shelter spokesman Ryan Drabek, citing a 12 percent increase in adoptions with 10, 000 animals placed in new homes. “We do mobile adoptions and work with more than 200 rescue groups.”

The county shelter serves more than 2 million people and impounds almost 30, 000 animals a year. It licenses 150, 000 animals each year. A 2004 county grand jury report investigating it found mismanagement, conflicts of interest, deficiencies in animal care and a disregard for public safety.

Tingle: Cities Aren't Waiting For County Anymore To Build Animal Shelter

“Their (county) kill rate is more than 40 percent, compared to city shelters like Irvine, Mission Viejo, Laguna Beach and San Clemente that are less than 10 percent, ” said Jim Gardner, the coalition’s Lake Forest chief who has complied volumes of data. “Hundreds are being killed needlessly. The shelter is overcrowded.”

During the inquiry, the county disagreed with much of the report’s findings. It has made some changes such as housing animals individually and not adopting out aggressive animals.

Coalition members speaking at the meeting say that a new shelter won’t address resident concerns borne out of surveys on animal care needs.

Partners For Pets

“The city’s solutions – enhanced field service, a new shelter – won’t change most of these, ” said Gardner, “It will help the failure to respond quickly, but at a cost of $230, 000 in the first year and $117, 500 — for every year thereafter — that’s crazy. The city has 21 animals, either dead or stray, picked up every month. That’s 252 animals per year, at a cost of $230, 000 is $910 per animal. Completely absurd.”

Bland, who’s fought for improved animal care in Laguna Hills for years, wonders how the commercial market might be involved in animal care. She points to the Helen Woodward Animal Center in Rancho Santa Fe. The center’s president, Mike Arms, speaks to animal organizations worldwide educating them about marketing shelters as a business to prevent high euthanasia rates and promote successful adoptions.

Laguna

“These animals don’t have to be euthanized, ” Arms said. “Most places don’t know how to run a shelter as a business. If there was a child mauling, the last thing they’d say the dog was taken to XYZ shelter. People watching that would say, “I don’t want to go there and get a killer dog. Every time we call them a ‘shelter dog or cat, ’ we’re degrading them. When you reduce adoption pet prices, you’re devaluating them. I’m in the business of saving lives.”At any one time our shelter houses dogs, cats, puppies, kittens, and a small number of other adoptable animals, such as birds and rabbits. Our animals are held for seven days upon arrival. This holding period gives us ample time to locate an owner if there is one. If animals remain unclaimed, they undergo an assessment of their health, temperament, and behavior for adoption purposes.

Maltipoo Puppies And Dogs In Laguna Hills, Ca

Dogs and cats that come available for adoption are seen by a veterinarian, bathed and groomed, vaccinated, de-wormed, micro-chipped, and neutered/spayed, in addition to receiving any other needed medical treatment. The animals put up for adoption are healthy and have no serious behavioral problems. They will remain in the care of staff and volunteers until they go home with their new families.

In all our adoptions, our goal is to place our animals in the most appropriate matches possible–matches with the greatest chance of permanent, rewarding, and loving relationships between animals and owners. For this reason, and for the protection of both our animals and the people who adopt them, our adoptions are governed by an application and approval procedure and by certain adoption criteria. This approach to adoption has kept our return rate at close to 5%. In contrast, the national average of shelter return rate is nearly 50%.

Our adoption procedures are designed to make sure that both you and the animal you adopt are in the very best situation possible. Here’s how the adoption procedure works: