March 11-15 is National Wildlife Week! Orange County is a beautiful home not only to us and our pets, but to wildlife too. Now that Spring is around the corner, wildlife may be integrating itself into our lives a little more as it is peek breeding season for most of these animals. Here are some tips on how to share our homes with these wildlife animals to help ensure safety for us and our pets, as well as discouraging destructive behavior. • Cats and small dogs can be easy prey for predators and should be supervised as closely as possible or kept indoors. • Keep pet food indoors and do not leave food of any kind outside at night. Food left out at night will be taken as a welcome invitation by wildlife, and may prompt a future visit. • Remove any fruit which has fallen to the ground. • Store trash in covered, heavy-duty containers. • Keep yards free from potential shelter such as thick brush and weeds, and enclose the bottoms of porches and decks. • Eliminate garbage, debris, lumber piles, etc. • Check fencing and try to eliminate access points to roof tops. • Change automatic sprinkler settings regularly.

Lynda is a dedicated foster mom, a reliable volunteer and an awesome shelter cat photographer. She regularly fosters the sickest and neediest of cats and kittens. She has nursed some of the most critically sick cats back to health. Lynda is a shelter cat photographer, highlighting the best features of our resident cats which in turn helps our feline friends get adopted faster. Lynda also helps out at our Petco cattery and transports the kitties if needed. Lynda has been a volunteer at OCAC for over 8 years! We really appreciate Lynda, and we are exceptionally thankful for her dedication to our shelter cats.

During the month of February, OC Animal Care held their annual Adopt a Shelter Rabbit Month. We encourage everyone to hop on down and find some bunny to love! All floppy eared friends adopted during February received a free spay/neuter and microchip. Month long event was a success, and a total of 27 bunnies found their forever homes!

Please join me in congratulating Kristen, Volunteer of the Month!Kristen is a dog walker who is always at the shelter. She loves her big “pitty type” breeds and anytime during the week you can see her out with a big ol’ muscle-head dog strolling around the shelter. Kristen has become a lead in training our new dog volunteers and we love that we can rely on her! Kristen is dedicated, reliable and an excellent trainer/teacher! She has shown flexibility and a willingness to step up and help out when needed! Thank you Kristen!!

In an effort to find long-term resident dogs a fur-ever companion, OC Animal Care hosted an adoption event for the members of the “Lonely Hearts Club” throughout February 9th and 10th. During the weekend, all dogs who had been available to adopt for more than two weeks had a free adoption fee. The event was a huge success -- the public made colorful Valentine’s cards for our shelter pets which are now on display in the lobby, and fifteen long-term resident dogs found their new forever homes. Cleve, both a staff and volunteer favorite, was a longstanding member of our Lonely Hearts Club, arriving at OC Animal Care in July of 2018. On the first day of the event, Cleve had a heart-to-heart connection with one of the event attendees and was adopted by her new, loving family. Cleve’s new owner plans on giving him lots of love and taking him for long runs through the park! Thank you to everyone who came and supported our Lonely Hearts Club event!

The numbers are in and everyone here at OC Animal Care could not be more grateful for the support from all the partners and community members who helped make 2018 a year of success! Check out the Press Release and infographic linked below to learn more about the impact we were able to achieve together!

Follow these helpful tips to stay safe and happy while walking your pet: 1. Leash and Harness -For everyone's safety, always walk your animal on a leash and make sure they are wearing a collar that suits them. There are a variety of different harnesses and collars that would be appropriate for your pet depending on their size and breed. Choose a leash and collar that is appropriate for your animal with the help of your trainer or vet. 2. Be Prepared -You should always be prepared and bring waste bags to clean up after your pet. Cleaning up your pet’s messes keeps the surrounding community clean and residents happy. -Teach your pets proper street manners and walking etiquette. On long walks you should always bring water and a water bowl to keep your pet hydrated. -Adjust your animals walking needs to the weather conditions for that day. -Change your walking distance to what’s appropriate for your animal’s fitness level. -On longer walks, be prepared by bringing an animal first aid kit. 3. Have Fun! -Let your animal have fun and explore! Enjoy this time to bond and really learn about their unique and individual personalities. Always encourage your pets and don’t rush through these simple moments. Your pet will love and appreciate this special time together!

Volunteers Needed to Help Count Individuals Experiencing Homelessness in Orange County

Santa Ana, Calif. (January 7, 2019) – The County of Orange is seeking around 1,000 volunteers to sign up to help with the 2019 Point In Time count, taking place Wednesday, January 23, and Thursday, January 24.

The Point In Time is a biennial effort required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, counting people experiencing homelessness in a given point in time during the last 10 days in January. The data resulting from the 2019 Point In Time count will provide information to help the County and its partners better understand and address homelessness.

Volunteers are primarily needed to serve as field surveyors, who will canvass predesignated areas across Orange County and conduct surveys of homeless individuals. Volunteers are also needed to serve as team captains, host leads, host team members, photographers and videographers, and A/V and tech support. Volunteer opportunities are available in morning shifts and evening shifts on both January 23 and 24. Volunteers are projected to mostly complete the count on January 23, with volunteers following up on January 24 to cover any areas that might have been missed. (See descriptions of volunteer opportunities and links to register here.)

In-person training for volunteers will be offered on Saturday, January 12; Wednesday, January 16; and Thursday, January 17 in Fullerton, Tustin and Mission Viejo. The two-hour, in-person training is required for all team captain volunteers and is optional for all other volunteers. (See a full list of training options and an RSVP form here.)

Each team of field surveyors will be led by a team captain, who will have specific training and most likely experience in outreach or providing services to homeless individuals. Volunteers will receive information leading up to the Point In Time count covering details such as what to wear, how to conduct the app-based survey, and how to ensure safety.
For additional information about the 2019 Point In Time count, visit https://www.everyonecountsoc.org/ .
###

Linda has been chosen for Volunteer of the Month. We love that Linda is always there for the dogs. She is dedicated to our furry friends and is a reliable dog walker and socializer. Not only is she a dependable dog volunteer, but she is an amazing photographer. Her photos capture the essence of our shelter dogs, and help make them more adoptable by capturing their personalities. She is loved by the dogs and we are so happy to have her on our volunteer team. Congrats!

OC Animal Care hosted their annual Pawliday Adoption Event and Santa Photos every Saturday during the month of December! The shelter's Pawliday event was a huge success! 98 pets were adopted and found fur-ever homes on Saturday, December 22. OC Parks, OC Libraries and the Pet Adoption Center of Orange County joined in the festivities and hosted a booth to raise awareness about their organization. OC Waste and Recycle also provided giveaways and educational material during the event to educate the public on the ‘scoop on poop!’ We cannot thank everyone enough for adopting and coming out to support OC Animal Care! The shelter also hosted Santa Photos every Saturday in December until Christmas! OC Animal Care offered the public to bring their furry friend down to take a photo with jolly St. Nick to raise funds for the shelter’s medical pets program. A total of $1,423.80 was raised to help our shelter pets through the Noble Friends Foundation for OC Animal Care! Special thanks to all who came out to take a photo with Santa, and for OC Animal Care’s amazing volunteers who ran the Santa Photo booth! You guys ROCK!