The Veterans Day Adoption event on Saturday at the Castaic Animal Shelter aimed to pair vets with pets.
According to center manager Paul Maradiaga, this was the first year they’d done a Veterans Day event like this, but he was expecting a good turnout. People from the public were showing up to the shelter all morning to look at animals.
“We’re excited,” Maradiaga said just after 11 a.m. as the event was getting started. “We’ve got a lot of vendors out here. And we were also able to assist some other care centers, getting some doggies here, that way we can help get them adopted.”
In addition to the animals at the Castaic center, Palmdale and Lancaster centers sent over animals to be adopted. They had about 50 dogs and cats total in the shelter Saturday morning.
“We did a similar event back in August,” Maradiaga said. “It was a good turnout, so, we decided to do it today for the veterans.”
The August event he was talking about was a nationwide pet adoption and donation campaign called Clear the Shelters. The Castaic event resulted in almost 30 animals being adopted that day.
“Today, we’re focusing on our local veterans,” Maradiaga said. “Hopefully we can match them with a pet.”
All adoption fees were waived for Saturday, excluding licensing fees.
According to Ellie Mosser, community relations specialist for Pets Global Inc., which is a wellness company for pets, those who adopted animals would receive giveaways.
“Everyone who adopts today goes home with a starter pack of food,” she said, feeling confident that they’d see a good number of adoptions. “When we did Clear the Shelters with them (the shelter) at the beginning of August, we got about 80% of their population adopted that day. So, we’re hoping to do the same.”
Kelsey Tarleton, volunteer coordinator at the Castaic Animal Care Center, said the shelter normally has about five volunteers at the center on a given day. On Saturday, she and a team of 15 volunteers were prepared to work.
“The volunteers are here helping with viewings, answering questions, and they help with releases,” she said. “They’re basically doing just anything with the public, helping us getting our animals adopted.”
Many families were out on Saturday, looking for animals to take home.
Canyon Country resident Alba Ruiz, a United States Marine, was at the Veterans Day Adoption event as a representative of the armed forces. She said she wasn’t looking for a pet to adopt, though her daughter was making a strong push to adopt a cat.
“I was part of the Wounded Warrior Regiment,” she said. “Companionship definitely helps a veteran, especially if they’re alone. It’s the emotional support.”
Newhall resident Dale McLean, a U.S. Army veteran, was at the event Saturday with his wife, city of Santa Clarita Councilwoman Marsha McLean, and their dog, who they adopted from the shelter last year. The couple’s second dog died last week, and so, they were at the event adopting another dog.
Marsha said the dog they adopted looked similar to the dog they lost. Dale said he and his wife enjoy a dog’s companionship.
“They’re nice company to have,” he said. “Hopefully it all works out alright with the new one. She’s 3 years old, so, it all depends on what kind of habits she has now.”
He added that he and his wife spent some time with the dog before choosing to adopt. He felt good about their new pet and was looking forward to getting to know her better.
For more information about the Castaic Animal Shelter, go to AnimalCare.LACounty.gov.
