Tucker, a three-year-old puppy, sat quietly and well-behaved with his foster mother Julia Jones at the main entrance of the Castaic Animal Care Center.
He wore a yellow jacket that said “Adopt me.”
Jones decided to take Tucker out of the shelter and foster him because he was having a hard time adjusting to the stressful environment and was nearing the end of his lifespan and was facing euthanasia.
After spending a month at her home while Jones recovered from leg surgery, she was able to watch the big pup come out of his shell and show his lovable personality.
“He’s been really good, he loves car rides … he’s been spending time with my 10-year-old niece,” she said. “Since I was going to be home, I thought, ‘I might as well see if I can help a dog,’ and he’s been helping me recover, so it’s been really nice,” she said.
Tucker was surrendered by his owners because they had too many dogs on their property, Jones said. Now he’s looking for his forever home.
Like Tucker, numerous dogs and cats at the Castaic Animal Care Center sought to attract guests’ attention. Some made puppy eyes, others barked, and still others displayed quiet and shy behavior.
Castaic Animal Care Center, in partnership with Pets Global Inc., has participated in the Clear the Shelters campaign, a nationwide initiative that encourages people to adopt an animal from a shelter and help address the high number of dogs and cats that leads to overcrowded facilities.
The campaign runs from August 10 to September 10. To encourage local residents to adopt, the adoption fee is now just $10. The hope is to “get some dogs out and save lives,” says Paul Maradiaga, the center’s director. “The goal is to clear the shelter.”
Maradiaga added that the Castaic Animal Care Center has a total of 50 kennels and is often overcrowded, especially during peak seasons in the spring and summer when many stray and surrendered dogs are dropped off.
When kennels become available at the shelter, dogs are transported from shelters in the Antelope Valley area to help relieve overcrowding at the Lancaster and Palmdale facilities.
“That’s why it’s so important to us. We have good processing and good adoption numbers and our goal is to help the other shelters as well,” he said. “We have an army of volunteers who help us.”
Ellie Mosser, Community Engagement Specialist at Pets Global Inc., distributed free food and treats for a month to anyone who went home with a new pet during the day.
“There have been quite a few adoptions and I think we’ve actually made a difference,” she said. “Today they don’t pay adoption fees, so they can spend the extra money on toys and other nice things.”
Ben Wobrock, his son Malachi Wobrock and their family were looking for a new furry companion for their 12-year-old Australian Shepherd. They found an 11-week-old female puppy and named her Nugget.
“We’ve been coming here (to the shelter) once a week for the past month. We saw Nugget was surrendered about a week ago and (we) just waited until everything was cleared up… we were lucky and were able to pick her up,” Ben said. They were excited to play with their new canine companion, who was still a little shy.
Nugget had one of the few happy endings at the Castaic Animal Care Center’s adoption event on Saturday, while other dogs and cats are still waiting to find a forever home.
For more information about animals available for adoption, visit: https://animalcare.lacounty.gov/
