The dogs in the OC Animal Care shelter were jumping, barking, wagging their tails – putting on their best show it seemed – as members of the public filed in and out of the kennel area Wednesday, Jan. 17.
The county-run shelter resumed daily public viewing hours starting on Wednesday, allowing people to roam unescorted among the kennels and possibly make a connection with a new furry friend. The kennels contain dogs and cats who are available for adoption and can be taken home the same day, officials said.
Out of the 169 dogs at the shelter Wednesday, 99 were available for adoption, along with 16 adoptable cats out of the 87 currently under the shelter’s care, according to Alexa Pratt, public information officer for OC Community Resources. Most of the unavailable pets were on stray hold, she said. In California, strays have to be held for four to seven days, leaving time to be reclaimed by their owners.
“It could be a number of reasons why an animal is not ready to go home today. For example, as a municipal shelter, we house dogs who maybe their owner passed away or is arrested, so obviously those aren’t ready to go home,” Pratt said. “We also have animals that might need surgery or medical, behavioral evaluations that aren’t quite ready, and also animals that don’t meet the stray hold quite yet.”
The shelter closed to public viewing with the onset of the pandemic, but didn’t resume access to the kennels even as most coronavirus precautions were lifted. Instead, potential adopters were tasked with choosing pets they were interested in from an online database and scheduling a meet-and-greet; shelter officials have said the new system reduces stress on the animals from overstimulation, helps prevent visitors from getting bitten and leads to more successful adoptions.
But activists have been lobbying for a return to the previous shelter operations. They argue the appointment system limits important access to the animals and results in fewer…
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