TUSTIN, Calif. (November 19, 2023) – Due to the upcoming high wind event forecasted by the National Weather Service, the shelter’s close proximity to the north hangar and the City of Tustin Incident Management Team announcement of the controlled deconstruction of the remaining structure, as well as the continued effort to prioritize the health and safety of staff, visitors, and animals on campus, OC Animal Care will temporarily close on-site operations to the public, out of an abundance of caution, from Monday, November 20 through Tuesday, November 21. OC Animal Care staff will continue to be on-site caring for over 450 animals, and all activities are still being shifted indoors, when possible.
To minimize additional animals being brought to the shelter at this time, OC Animal Care is imploring the community to first exhaust all efforts to search for the owners of stray animals, specifically dogs, before bringing them to OC Animal Care. This includes first reporting to your local animal control agency, checking with neighbors, and posting found information on social media sites, community forums and Nextdoor. The shelter has education tips available for anyone who has found or lost a pet.
Should you come across a sick, injured, or aggressive dog, please call 714-935-6848 to speak to an animal field services dispatcher. Please note that while general response times may be longer than normal, field support to contract cities and the County unincorporated areas will continue for priority level calls for service.
Since the onset of the fire, OC Animal Care immediately took action by putting protective measures into place to ensure the continued safety of all staff, animals, and visitors. This includes routine mobile monitoring, fixed-place monitoring and air quality sampling. To date, testing results at OC Animal Care have been within normal ranges. Additionally, the agency has distributed safety equipment to staff, replaced all indoor air filters, installed seven mobile HEPA air filtration systems and contracted with a professional clean-up crew who specializes in this type of debris to continue to be on campus to evaluate and initiate any needed remediation.
In addition, OC Animal Care continues its wide-spread efforts to partner with local, state, and national agencies to move animals out of the shelter through transport programs. OC Animal Care also called on the community to help place dogs into foster homes. OC Animal Care is incredibly grateful to the families who opened up their hearts and homes to foster an animal. Thanks to our community, over 260 animals are currently off-site receiving plenty of love and attention with their temporary family.
The temporary closure is scheduled from Monday through Tuesday but may be extended pending review of weather conditions and status of the Tustin Hangar Emergency. Once the deconstruction of the north hangar is complete and all air quality tests are finalized, OC Animal Care will resume normal operations.
Visit ocpetinfo.com for more information or call OC Animal Care at (714) 935-6848.
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