On Sunday March 24th OC Animal Care had its Grand Opening for the public to come and visit the new campus, animals and some fun from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Even though the doors wouldn’t open until 11 a.m. visitors were eagerly waiting a few hours before then.
As the hours turned to minutes, and minutes into seconds, both staff and visitors alike had contagious smiles which set the tone for the event. Once the doors were finally opened, a sea of visitors were greeted by two lines of staff members cheering them on saying “Welcome!”.
Passing through the lobby out into the courtyard visitors were greeted by a number of vendors and esteemed guests. Among the tents of guests were representatives from 3rd District Supervisor Todd Spitzer and 4th District Supervisor Shawn Nelson’s office greeting people as they began to walk out the lobby doors. Continuing down the path were OC Animal Care partners such as the Anaheim Ducks, Pet Prescription Team, OC Parks, Cell Dogs Inc., OC Shelter Partners, and Pet Adoption Center of Orange County.
Before reaching the end of the pathway visitors also had the chance spin OC Animal Care’s wheel for some fun prizes, learn about Community Coop, who hosted a “Chickens Make Great Pets Too!” demonstration in the barnyard area. Next to the barnyard area were horses Bentley and Tiny Rocket from Hidden Creek Ranch who greeted folks at the stables. In addition to the presentation from Community Coop and greetings from Hidden Creek Ranch, Pet Prescription Team hosted “Katy Cares-Responsible Pet Ownership” with Kane and Bagel for the kids in attendance.
With so much to learn, to try and people to meet, visitors worked up an appetite and could conveniently get food from the food trucks El Governador or TLC’s Sidewalk Café, and then finish off with some Joe’s Italian Ice in the picnic area.
Aside from guests, vendors and food, visitors had the opportunity to walk through the kennel buildings and meet the dogs and bunnies, walk through the hallway and visit the cats and small animals, ask about volunteering, fostering programs and most popular of all… when and how they could adopt.
As Saturday wound down, guests began to filter out and some started to already wait in line for adoptions kicking off the next day, Sunday March 25th.
As excited as everyone was by the previous day’s fun, people were equally if not more excited for the first day of adoptions. From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. families came in and left with their new members of all types, sizes and colors. In total, there were 74 adoptions made from 58 dogs, 11 cats and 5 rabbits!
OC Animal Care’s Grand Opening and first day of adoptions went as successfully as one could hope for and left a confidence in visitors that the animals are in good hands and that the new facility is a positive change. As the days go on since the exciting weekend, OC Animal Care is excited to continue working hard for the animals and community.
