There were a total of 79 animals ready to be adopted at the Castaic Animal Care Center for the “Clear the Shelters” kickstart adoption event on Aug. 10. Fifty-six dogs and 23 cats patiently waited in their kennels to meet with potential owners, ready to say farewell to the shelter and head to their new homes.
Out of all the animals, 11 felines and 17 canines were adopted successfully, while one dog was returned due to having trouble getting along with other animals in the home, said Paul Maradiaga, the shelter’s manager, in a phone interview on Thursday.
In total the event had a 35% success rate and personnel with the shelter were overjoyed with the number of adoptions, said Maradiaga.
“We were really elated at the fact that we were able to kind of place so many animals in loving homes,” he said. “We adopted so many animals in one day. It definitely motivates us to think of another similar event [in the future].”
But clearing the shelter is never-ending for the Castaic center. Whenever they have an open kennel, they work closely with the Antelope Valley sister shelters, Palmdale and Lancaster, to transfer animals to the facility to alleviate overcrowding and push for high adoption numbers.
Those that aren’t adopted after a period of time – which is dependent on a variety of factors, including total capacity and animal behavioral issues – are euthanized.
“Our goal is to save more lives when it comes to placing animals for adoption, meaning, when we have the opportunity to empty our kennels, [we ask], ‘OK, who can we help today?’” Maradiaga said. “The Lancaster and Palmdale Animal Care Center have some challenges with the number of animals they currently have, so our goal is to assist them as well. We’re all in this together.”
Daniel Dibene, the Palmdale center’s manager, recently transferred from the Lancaster Animal Care Center and has witnessed the high number of strays that come into both facilities, he said.
The Lancaster facility has over 130 dog kennels, Palmdale has over 60 dog kennels, and the overcrowding numbers fluctuate, he said, adding that cats are a lesser issue, because both Antelope Valley facilities alternate to capture many of the strays, neuter them and then release them back to their communities.
Transfers take place because sometimes looking through so many animals at their facilities can be overwhelming for potential adopters, Dibene said, and it gives the animals a higher chance of finding a home.
But adopting an animal isn’t just an easy decision and it’s something that should be carefully thought through, said Maradiaga.
“It’s a huge commitment,” he said. “People should think about, ‘Do I have the time to invest in a new pet, basic obedience training, [ask] what are my current circumstances? Am I able to afford care for this animal?’
“Those are one of the main decision-making factors that they should consider,” he added.
Living situations can change in an instant, and pets are often surrendered when that happens, he added.
“The animal care center should be the last resort when relinquishing an animal and [owners should] make the effort in placing it in a home, find a family or friend [who will take them in],” he said.
Pet owners can also visit Home to Home, Maradiaga added, an online pet placement platform that helps owners find new permanent and temporary homes for their animals without going through animal shelters.
At the Castaic Animal Care Center, animals have a variety of time frames before personnel make the difficult decision to put them down, he said, but if someone has a last-minute inquiry, they try their best to accommodate.
“Sometimes we cannot provide that extension because of the volume of animals that we currently have,” he said, adding he strongly suggests people don’t wait until the last minute.
As of Monday, 710 dogs and 270 cats have been adopted throughout all seven Los Angeles County Care Centers, Maradiaga said.
Adoption fees are waived until Sept. 10, and Maradiaga encourages residents interested in adopting to visit their center to meet numerous dogs and cats still awaiting their “fur’ever” homes.
For more information on animals available for adoption, visit animalcare.lacounty.gov.
