OC Animal Care is expanding the ways potential adopters can meet animals by launching two pilot programs with hopes of seeing more adoptions this summer, officials said.
The programs, Kennel Connection and Littles on the Lawn, launched Wednesday, July 19, and will take place together every Wednesday and Saturday, from 2 to 4:30 p.m., at the OC Animal Care shelter in Tustin.
“These were designed specifically in the areas that we either had heard feedback from our community or it was something that in past years we had done one time and thought was really successful,” OC Animal Care spokesperson Jackie Tran said.
The shelter has limited visitors walking among the kennels since the start of the pandemic – more recently saying it has helped with not stressing the animals with lots of visitors and preventing bites – but with Kennel Connection, people will be able to peruse the enclosures to meet adoptable animals without scheduling an appointment beforehand.
Staff and volunteer Adoption Ambassadors will be posted to answer questions and provide information about specific pets. Animals will also have a description card sharing how they arrived at the shelter, their breed and other information.
“You don’t want to take that dog home and have it not respond well to people in the family and then have to bring it all back,” Tran said. “With our adoption ambassador there, as they’re strolling through these designated kennel areas, we’re there with them every step of the way to let them know exactly what the dogs and cats are like. It’s all about educating the adopters and then, at the same time, being able to make that target match for everyone.”
Littles on the Lawn will be a space where folks can meet trained small dogs that recently graduated from OC Animal Care’s TLC and Little Dog Play Group programs.
“These dogs, when they come into our facility, some of them are really nervous. They may have never been around other dogs before. And so…
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