OC Animal Care is asking the community to temporarily open their heart and home to a shelter dog, cat, or rabbit this holiday season. Currently, the shelter has over 275 animals on campus, with many of them available today for adoption or foster. The shelter is asking for a 2–3-week commitment to give an animal the opportunity to spend the holidays out of a kennel and in the comfort of a loving home.
Over the last month, OC Animal Care has been severely impacted by the Tustin Hangar Fire and ongoing local state of emergency directly across the street from the facility. While restrictions have loosened, OC Animal Care is still taking precautions to ensure the safety of the animals in the shelter, staff, volunteers, and community visitors until deconstruction of the remaining structure is complete and all asbestos containing material debris attached to concrete pillars are lowered and stabilized. The shelter team has done a remarkable job pivoting to indoor adoption visits and ramping up in-kennel enrichment efforts, and volunteers are assisting with modified walks, but that’s no match to a warm bed in a loving home.
Since the emergency, over 110 dogs have been sent to foster homes, and over 150 animals are currently in foster. Buddy was one of those dogs lucky enough to be sent to an emergency foster home. His temporary family adored him so much they told all their friends about him. Shortly thereafter, their friends fell in love and decided to adopt him. He’ll be spending this Christmas with his family, including his new 12-year-old human BFF!
Our foster team works closely with each family to match them with a pet that will best fit their current family, lifestyle, and household. OC Animal Care will also provide each foster family with a starter kit containing food and basic supplies including a leash, collar, and tags for your temporary housemate.
If you’d like to help animals like Buddy (pictured above), please contact OCACPrograms@occr.ocgov.com to become a foster. All dogs are spay/neutered, microchipped, current on DHPP-Bordetella and Rabies vaccines, dewormed, and current on flea preventative.
In light of the forecasted wind event, continued deconstruction of the Tustin Hangar, and in an abundance of caution, outdoor events, including the monthly Pet Food Pantry scheduled for Saturday, December 9, are cancelled.
IN DIRE NEED OF PET FOOD?
Please submit a request via email to ocacoutreach@occr.ocgov.com by December 16. Pet food requests will be filled in the order they are received and based on the availability of supply.
The monthly Pet Food Pantry will resume as normal on the next scheduled date of Saturday, January 13.
OC Animal Care is excited to take part in ACI Jet's Santa Paws Adoption Event. While you're there, you'll meet members of our OC Animal Care team, see some of our adoptable pets, receive giveaways, and informational resources.
ACI Jet
Wednesday, December 20, 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.
19301 Campus Drive, Santa Ana, CA 92707
OC Animal Care is excited to take part in Irvine Animal Care Center's Home for the Holidays Adoption Event. While you're there, you'll meet members of our OC Animal Care team, see some of our adoptable pets, receive giveaways, and informational resources. Learn more about it here.
Irvine Animal Care Center
Sunday, December 10, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
6443 Oak Canyon, Irvine, CA 92618
OC Animal Care is excited to host an informational booth at the City of Brea's Tree Lighting event. Stop by to learn more about disaster preparedness, animal welfare, proper animal care, and responsible pet ownership!
City of Brea, Cultural and Civic Center
Thursday, December 7, 6:30 p.m. - 8 p.m.
1 Civic Center Circle, Brea, CA 92821
ASPCA Partners with Orange County Animal Care to Relocate More Than 100 Shelter Dogs in the Aftermath of the Tustin Hangar Fire
Tustin, Calif.–In response to the ongoing local state of emergency resulting from the North Hangar Fire in Tustin, Calif., the ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®) is partnering with Orange County Animal Care (OCAC) to fly more than 100 shelter dogs to the ASPCA’s recovery center in Columbus, Ohio. Ongoing flare-ups, high winds, and announced deconstruction of the remaining structure, which is in close proximity to the shelter, have prevented staff from safely bringing the dogs in their care outside for walks, exercise, and playtime. To combat this concern and ensure the dogs continue to receive the care they need, they are being flown to a facility operated by the ASPCA that is dedicated to the recovery of some of the country’s most vulnerable animals, including those displaced by emergency situations like this. The dogs will then be placed with partner shelters and made available for adoption in the coming weeks. The ASPCA is continuing to work with OCAC to assist with additional needs during this difficult time, including supporting their kitten nursery by transporting kittens that require specialized care out of the shelter in the coming days, and working with them to develop a comprehensive disaster plan for future emergencies.
Since the onset of the fire, OCAC has responded quickly to put protective measures in place to ensure the continued safety of all staff, animals, and visitors. This includes widespread efforts to partner with local, state, and national agencies to move animals out of the shelter through transport programs and community pleas to help place dogs into foster homes.
“Our team at OC Animal Care has been at modified operations since November 7, when the North Hangar initially caught fire, which includes limiting dogs to the inside portion of their kennels,” said Monica Schmidt, Interim Director. “This partnership with the ASPCA, including their commitment to providing vital resources, is affording over 100 dogs the opportunity to relocate from our shelter as modified operations continue with no definite end date. We are incredibly grateful to our partners at the ASPCA, who like us and our community, care deeply for the dogs in Orange County.”
“The ASPCA is uniquely positioned to support shelter partners across the country during emergency situations by quickly mobilizing and providing critical resources and services that alleviate strain on local animal welfare organizations and keep vulnerable animals out of harm’s way,” said Karen Walsh, senior director of ASPCA Animal Relocation. “We are grateful to Orange County Animal Care for their ongoing efforts to prioritize the wellbeing of the animals in their care and are proud to collaborate with them to move these animals to safety and provide them with a second chance at finding loving homes.”
In addition to providing boots on the ground assistance in response to emergencies and disasters, the ASPCA works closely with local agencies across the country to help enhance their animal response capabilities through grants and training opportunities. The ASPCA also works with lawmakers to increase access to co-sheltering opportunities to keep people and pets together when they are displaced by natural or manmade disasters.
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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.
About the ASPCA® Founded in 1866, the ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®) was the first animal welfare organization to be established in North America and today serves as the nation’s leading voice for vulnerable and victimized animals. As a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation with more than two million supporters nationwide, the ASPCA is committed to preventing cruelty to dogs, cats, equines, and farm animals throughout the United States. The ASPCA assists animals in need through on-the-ground disaster and cruelty interventions, behavioral rehabilitation, animal placement, legal and legislative advocacy, and the advancement of the sheltering and veterinary community through research, training, and resources. For more information, visit www.ASPCA.org, and follow the ASPCA on Facebook, X, Instagram, and TikTok
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.
In response to the local state of emergency related to the Tustin Hangar Incident, and in an abundance of caution, OC Animal Care will continue to implement the following modifications to ensure the safety of our animals, staff, volunteers, and community visitors. For a full list of programs and services, please visit our website at ocpetinfo.com or call 714-935-6848.
As a reminder, our Adoption Hours are 11 AM to 5 PM. To schedule an adoption visit, call our main line at (714) 935-6848, and mention the Animal ID# for any specific animal you might be interested in. We have many adoptable pets looking for their forever homes!
