The Volunteer of the Month for September is Tessa C.! Tessa has been supporting our staff and shelter pets as a clinic volunteer since the beginning of this year. Clinic staff report that they enjoy working with her because she is dedicated, takes initiative, and is always happy to help with any task. She is friendly with staff and animals, maintains a good attitude and always has a smile on her face. Thank you Tessa for all you do!

Calling all Kitten Cuddlers! WE NEED YOU! Join us on Saturday, October 6 for a foster orientation class where you will learn the basics of fostering. We are always in need of loving foster home, especially for medical and underage kittens. We hope to see you there! read more

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Meet adorable Gatsby! This handsome guy is a little shy, but be patient and he warms right up. He loves going for walks and getting back scratches from you! He would love a nice quiet home where he can lounge around and keep you company. Gatsby has been friendly to every dog he is met, and he would love to find another doggie companion to keep him company. Ask about meeting Gatsby today!Thank you Anaheim Ducks Foundation for supporting OC Animal Care!Click Here to watch Gatsby's special video!

Time for a PUPDATE! Mila the pug is doing great! She captured the hearts of Orange County and Southern California after being found in an abandoned cardboard box in Fullerton with major injuries to her hind legs. She's had the first of several surgeries, which was very successful, and she is recovering in her loving foster home. We are continuing to consult with orthopedic specialists on the best options for Mila so she can live her longest and happiest life. We thank all of you for your support in our life saving efforts for Mila. Her resilience and strength through this ordeal has touched us all. She is... #MilatheMiracle. For any information on Mila's case, please contact us at (714) 796-6460. To continue to support Mila's recovery or help other medical dogs in need, please DONATE today to our Medical Pets fund through Noble Friends Foundation by visiting https://secure.acceptiva.com/?cst=7489c0.

Sgt. Onkka responded to a call about two raccoons that were stuck in a dumpster. Did you know that raccoons often dumpster dive for food and are unable to get out? Propping a piece of wood against the dumster wall and walking away can help trapped raccoons climb out and find their way home. Thanks Sgt. Onkka for helping these raccoons return home safely! Remember never try to touch or pet a raccoon or any wildlife you may see. To learn more about willife in orange County, visit http://www.ocpetinfo.com/services/wildlife. Click Here to watch the Rescue Video!

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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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.

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.