Kittens. They're cute, they're cuddly, and when they're under 8 weeks old, kittens are the highest risk population at shelters in Southern California and across the country.

To help save more kittens at Orange County Animal Care, Best Friends Animal Society presented the organization with a $100,000 "Save Them All" kitten grant on Saturday, Sept. 15. In attendance as guest speakers were Chairman Andrew Do, Orange County Board of Supervisors 1st District and Todd Spitzer, Supervisor 3rd District.

"We have had a lot of improvements and good results in the last five years and were able to increase the save rate for adult cats from 40 percent to 70 percent. With this $100,000 grant for kittens and our new shelter Director Mike Kaviani, I believe we will be able to take the good work we do to a whole other level," said Chairman Andrew Do.

The grant will decrease kitten euthanasia by 15% in its first year by expanding foster programs, especially for "bottle baby" kittens under 4 weeks old, and providing resources for supplies, medical care, spay/neuter, vaccinations, and microchips for kittens in the foster program. Through collaboration with the non-profit organization OC Shelter Partners and founder Liz Hueg, community events such as a "kitten shower" were held to teach interested volunteers about the care and feeding of bottle feeders. OC Shelter Partners is one of the most active organizations in the community that has begun the process to increase kitten lives saved in the community. "We want responsible people to foster and adopt pets. So whether you're here to adopt a dog or cat, you're giving another life opportunity to these animals who need you in their lives," said Supervisor Todd Spitzer. 

"Best Friends has a mission to make the country no-kill by 2025 and programs like this are key to making that happen," said Jose Ocano, Pacific Region Director for Best Friends Animal Society. "We are very excited to partner with Orange County Animal Care and help increase positive outcomes at their center. It's a true example of how by working together, we can save them all."
To learn more about becoming a kitten foster with Orange County Animal Care, visit http://www.ocpetinfo.com/involve/foster.

About Orange County Animal Care
Orange County Animal Care takes in more than 19,000 dogs, cats, bunnies and other pets in Orange County each year. In addition to the daily feed, shelter and medical care provided to each pet at our shelter, OC Animal Care strives to be proactive in placing pets by offering monthly adoption events, working with hundreds of nonprofit rescue groups and encouraging our community members to become volunteers and foster caretakers. OC Animal Care promotes responsible pet ownership; health and safety of people and animals and spay/neuter programs OC Animal Care houses and provides medical care for impounded dogs, cats and exotic animals. The Care Center provides pet licensing and patrol services to 14 contract cities and all the unincorporated areas of the County.

About Best Friends Animal Society®
Best Friends Animal Society is the only national animal welfare organization focused exclusively on ending the killing of dogs and cats in America's shelters. A leader in the no-kill movement, Best Friends runs the nation's largest no-kill sanctuary for companion animals, as well as lifesaving programs in collaboration with its nationwide network of members and partners working to Save Them All®. In Los Angeles, Best Friends leads the No-Kill Los Angeles (NKLA) initiative, which is focused on ending the killing of dogs and cats in city shelters by 2017, and operates two centers, the NKLA Pet Adoption Center in West L.A. and the Best Friends Pet Adoption and Spay/Neuter Center in Mission Hills. Since its founding in 1984, Best Friends has helped reduce the number of animals killed in American shelters from 17 million per year to an estimated 4 million.

OC Animal Care is asking the community for donations to aid an injured dog in its care. On Tuesday, September 11, 2018, Orange County Animal Control officers recovered an approximately 18-month-old female Pug in the city of Fullerton. The dog was abandoned in a box with devastating trauma leaving her with half of both hind legs. An investigation is ongoing and anyone with information about this case is asked to contact OC Animal Care at (714) 796-6460. OC Animal Care is committed to providing this precious Pug with every opportunity to live a long and happy life. OC Animal Care staff have named her "Mila", short for milagro, which means "miracle" in Spanish. She has a long road to recovery, but with the generosity of our community we have the oppo1tunity to ensure Mila heals from her injuries both physically and emotionally and is given the chance to find the loving home she deserves. Please DONATE today to our Medical Pets fund through Noble Friends Foundation for OC Animal Care at: https://secure.acceptiva.com/?cst=7489c0. One hundred percent of donations will go directly to Mila's care and any additional funds will be used for animals in need of medical rehabilitation in the future. OC Animal Care thanks you for supporting our life saving efforts and we will be sending out updates on Mila's progress and all along her journey to recovery. read more

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The volunteer of the month for August is Patricia Steck! Pat has been an amazing part of our volunteer family since 2013. She has taken the lead in the Petco Cattery program and has been so helpful in keeping an eye on the kitties over there to be sure they’re healthy and getting along. She always sends updates on how everyone is doing, who was adopted, and even transports them for vet checks. Thank you so much Pat for all your help and hard work!

We are so excited to invite you to join us this Saturday, September 15th to celebrate a new life saving opportunity for OC Animal Care.Orange County Animal Care is to receive the $100K “Save Them All” grant from Best Friends Animal Society to help save more kittens. Please join us after the ceremony at 11 a.m. for kitten fostering orientations, bottle-feeding demonstrations and more! Please see the attachment for the exciting details. Thank you! read more

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On September 4, the OC Animal Care Rabies Control Program held its 4th annual Rabies Awareness Event. This event is held each year in observance of World Rabies Day, which began as a way to increase community awareness of the disease and its prevention. World Rabies Day is observed on September 28 of each year, the anniversary of the death of Louis Pasteur who, with the collaboration of his colleagues, developed the first efficacious rabies vaccine. We would like to thank Noble Friends Foundation for providing the funding necessary to make this event a success. Noble Friends Foundation is a non-profit organization designed to provide support to OC Animal Care and shelter pets. With their assistance, 52 dogs and cats received free or discounted rabies vaccinations. In addition to providing rabies vaccinations, Orange County Mosquito and Vector Control attended to help educate attendees on the importance of mosquito abatement. Tustin Legacy Animal Hospital was on hand to introduce their newly constructed veterinary facility and distribute information on the services they provide. Lastly, OC Animal Care provided emergency preparedness information for pets, including pet evacuation kit handouts, watertight go bags, and collapsible bowls to help pet owners start the planning process. While the United States generally no longer experiences some of the challenges other countries might with respect to rabies control, it is important for the community to know that rabies is still found in Orange County. Due in large part to readily available vaccines and strict surveillance efforts, it has been decades since rabies was last found in a domestic dog or cat. However, Orange County does see rabies in wildlife, particularly bats. To date in 2018, there have been 7 rabid bats found in Orange County. If you encounter a wild animal that appears to be ill or acting abnormally, please contact your local animal control agency for assistance.

On August 18, 2018, OC Animal Care participated in Clear the Shelters, a nationwide pet drive in partnership with NBC, Telemundo and other shelters across the country. Adoptions were $20 for all adoptions.

Doors opened at 10:00 am on Saturday, after a quick introduction and talk with OC Animal Care’s new director, Mike Kaviani. Families and couple came through the doors excited to meet all the animals and hoping to find their new best friends.

On the walk out to the dog kennels, people could pick up some leashes, collars, sweaters or shirts for their family members. Volunteers walked available dogs around the area to help bring some attention to them. VCA Animal Hospital also attended giving out some totes, hats, pens, and information about their facility and pet health. Staff members were happy to talk and recommend specific pets to people and excited to say good-bye to the ones who were going home.

Adopters continued to come in throughout the day. Some were visiting the shelter for the first time, some came to stop by and check out the event, and some were able to go home with a new pet! Of the adoptions that happened during the day, two bonded pairs went home, a pair of chickens and a pair of Pomeranians. Before leaving, some adopters stopped to share what their roles in the community are. These new pet owners ranged from nurses, EMTs, business owners, Celtics fans, college students, a family band, a family who backpacks together, Uber drivers, teachers, and so much more.

As visitors and adopters alike left, they had the opportunity to take a moment and decorate a rock to include in OC Animal Care’s memory garden in dedication to Valerie and all lost pets. For those who were interested, there were Valerie’s Pledge slips that could be signed so that they could be notified of any future ways they can help or to be contacted for a future Matchmaking Team program. Staff greeted people at the table and were there to provide answers and support for those who asked.

When visits and doors finally closed, there was 120 adopted animals from OC Animal Care. Dogs, cats, rabbits, chickens, turtles, and an iguana found new homes. Staff and volunteers were happy to see so many wagging tails and paws going through the front door.
 

For those that I haven't met yet (and let's be honest, that's almost all of you since I haven't even officially started yet!), my name is Mike Kaviani, and as of tomorrow, August 17, I am the new Director of OC Animal Care. 

Like so many of you, when I learned of the tragic death of the dog Valerie, and the horrifying reports of abuse, I felt sickened. In the subsequent days, I've felt anger and frustration. Now that we've learned the abuse was not true, it feels like a roller coaster of reactions. In the wake of this event, I want to channel these emotions into something productive, which is a process I've seen many in our animal-loving community go through as I've read the heartfelt messages across social media. I want us to still honor Valerie's memory.

As an outsider to this community up until this point (although I'd like to think I'm already one of you since I was born and raised in Irvine), I believe I've been able to view these events, and the various responses to it, through a unique lens. What I've observed as I've spoken with staff, members of the rescue community, and concerned citizens is that there is an incredibly consistent common goal. A common goal to find a way to create a safer community for our four-legged residents, and a goal to ensure Valerie's death is not in vain. This common goal, this ability to come together as people in the face of a false allegation or even alleged tragedy is what I believe to be a shining example of the best we as humans beings have to offer our world. 

The adage about how the darkest times come before the dawn may be familiar to many of you, and, dare I say may be a bit corny, but I can't think of many darker events than what was alleged to have happened to our sweet Valerie. While we are relieved that Valerie was spared this abuse, the possibility of any animal enduring this is unacceptable. I can also confidently say that we are in fact at the dawning of a new day for OC Animal Care. While it is a challenge to begin my tenure here faced with such challenging circumstances, I feel a tremendous sense of honor, and find it a true privilege, to be in a position to work with you all and the Orange County Board of Supervisors to bring this community's common goal to light. 

I pledge to you that Valerie's death will not be in vain. This last Tuesday the County’s Board of Supervisors put the wheels in motion by calling for a regional Do-Not Adopt list to protect animals across jurisdictional borders.  They also directed me to implement my knowledge of best practices nationwide to ensure that our local shelter operations is a leader in forward-facing, animal safety practices.  I pledge that we will continue to develop our progressive, thoughtful, compassionate, and thorough adoption process so that the homeless pets of OC find loving, well-matched forever homes, and we need you to pledge to help us achieve this.  We will do this in honor of Valerie's memory. Starting today, we will begin gathering pledges from anyone who wishes to become a member of our upcoming volunteer Matchmaking Team. Once the program is established, we will contact everyone who has submitted a pledge so that we can get this team in action to work alongside staff to offer comprehensive adoption counseling for every single adoption we do. 

While we realistically cannot have this team in place in time for this Saturday's Clear the Shelter event, this will be my second physical day at the shelter, and what better way to spend it than by working firsthand with our staff and volunteers that day! We will be implementing enhanced adoption counseling to ensure we're demonstrating a beginning version of the robust adoption program we will create together as we make a pledge for Valerie. 

I also pledge to hear your ideas. Please be patient with me as I begin this journey, but please also reach out to me if you have ideas! I'd love to meet with you, and we'd love to show you around the shelter and discuss all the ways we can work together to make Orange County the greatest community for animals and the people that love them, and to honor Valerie's life in every life we save from here on out. 

Mike Kaviani

Director, OC Animal Care

Mike.Kaviani@occr.ocgov.com

https://www.ocgov.com/civicax/filebank/blobdload.aspx?BlobID=78588

On August 11, OC Animal Care partnered with NBC4 and Telemundo 52 for a huge Pre Clear the Shelters event! The event took place at Bella Terra in Huntington Beach, and the turnout was tremendous. A total of 15 dogs and 7 cats were adopted into loving homes. Special thanks to all staff and volunteers who came out and helped make this day so successful!

July’s Volunteer of the Month is Ryan N! Ryan has been with us for one year and has been a wonderful addition to our cat team. Staff really appreciates that he is constantly in touch about our shelter kitties and truly cares for each one. He even started making videos to help them find their forever homes (check out the link below)! Thank you for going above and beyond to help our cats and for being part of our team!

OC Animal Care staff is aware of a situation with a dog, “Valerie,” recently adopted from our shelter. Our staff and volunteers are deeply saddened to learn of her passing and the alleged circumstances involving her death. Valerie was with us for three months and was loved by many. Although this incident occurred outside of our jurisdiction and we are not the investigating agency, we are working with the local authorities in Los Angeles regarding this case. OC Animal Care is providing them all the information we have about Valerie and will continue to assist in their ongoing investigation. The OC Animal Care shelter does not discriminate against those wishing to adopt unless they are suspected of or have been convicted of animal offenses. We utilize information about investigations from our own animal control as well as other law enforcement agencies to make this determination. We take the safety of all animals in our care seriously and, as a result of the circumstances surrounding Valerie’s death, the individual who adopted Valerie is now ineligible for future adoptions at our shelter. If you have any additional information regarding this case, please contact the Los Angeles Police Department Animal Cruelty Task Force at 213-486-0450.