Winter Storms Trigger Influx of Lost Dogs
TUSTIN, Calif. (February 7, 2024) - The winter storms in Orange County have led to displaced and lost dogs arriving at OC Animal Care. As we continue to grapple with ongoing rainfall and high winds, we are asking for the community’s help to ensure the safety and well-being of their pets.
Guidance for Pet Owners: Pet owners are advised to bring their animals indoors during heavy rainfall. If bringing them indoors is not feasible, providing them with a safe and dry shelter outside is essential. Keeping pets securely contained within the home or yard can prevent them from wandering and getting lost in the rain.
Preventative Measures: Take proactive measures to ensure your pet is properly identified with a well-fitting collar and ID tag with your contact information. If your pet is microchipped, be sure the information is current. Up-to-date tags and microchips can help your pet get back home with you faster if they become lost. Additionally, having an emergency kit for pets stocked with food, water, medications, and essential supplies is crucial if disaster strikes.
Lost and Found Pets: Most importantly, if you find a lost or stray pet, OC Animal Care asks for your help in locating their family by reporting to your local animal control agency, checking with neighbors, and posting found information on social media sites, community forums, and Nextdoor. OC Animal Care posts a photo and description of each animal brought into the shelter in hopes that they will be reunited with their family on our website. These are just a few of the furry faces that arrived during the storm. If any of them look familiar, please call or visit OC Animal Care.
How the Community Can Help:
Foster: To help make room for incoming stray dogs who have been displaced by the storms, OC Animal Care is asking the community to temporarily open their heart and home and foster a medium or large dog for two to three weeks. Opening your home gives a current shelter dog a loving home to weather the storm and enables the shelter to prioritize housing for lost dogs as they wait for their families to bring them home.
In an effort to reunite lost dogs with their families, the dogs available to be placed in a foster home are dogs that do not have any holds and are already available for public adoption. OC Animal Care will provide each foster family with a starter kit containing food and basic supplies including a leash, collar, and tags for your temporary housemate.
Please contact OCACPrograms@occr.ocgov.com to become a temporary dog foster. All dogs are spay/neutered, microchipped, current on DHPP-Bordetella and Rabies vaccines, dewormed, and current on flea preventative.
Adopt: If you have been thinking of adding a furry friend to your family, now is a great time to visit OC Animal Care. The shelter currently has amazing dogs, cats, rabbits, and guinea pigs waiting to find their forever family. OC Animal Care is open daily for Adoption Visits from 11 am to 5 pm and open for Viewing Hours from 2 to 5 pm. We look forward to seeing you no matter which daily adoption option you choose.
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About OC Animal Care
OC Animal Care is the largest municipal animal shelter in Orange County, located at 1630 Victory Rd. Tustin, CA 92782. It services 14 cities and takes in over 14,500 animals each year. OC Animal Care provides refuge and care for animals, fosters the human-animal bond, and promotes safety in our community. For more information about OC Animal Care, please visit ocpetinfo.com.
