Talkin' Shop

Here’s what’s been going on at San Bernardino County Animal Care.

What is something you are really proud of as an organization? Our commitment to the community, our care for the homeless pets in our shelters and our compassion for the ever-changing needs of the people and animals served. Our organization’s live release rate for calendar year 2021 was 81.92% for dogs and cats.

What is something that makes your shelter unique? The dedication and commitment of our caring staff and ability to work with over 700 non-profit animal Rescue Group Partners who assist in providing placements to special needs animals received at our County shelters.

What is a program that you run that is really important for people to know about? The County offers an awarding winning spay/neuter voucher program. This program offers vouchers to the general public to help individuals pay for the spaying/neutering of their companion dogs and cats. Residents in the County’s unincorporated communities can call 1-888-767-2550 to request the vouchers. The program received a National Associations of Counties award for innovative programs to assist in addressing pet overpopulation.

Can you share a story of a specific pet you helped recently? The following video was produced about “Tiger” and his successful placement with Selina Palmer, the head instructor of Little Tigers Tang Soo Do Karate Studio. Tiger is the official karate mascot at the studio and was adopted from our County’s animal shelter in Devore.

How many donors do you have? Our non-profit organization, the Animals aRe First Fund (ARFF), supports our County animal shelters, has approximately 400 donors. Over 300 of this number are County employees who contribute to ARFF through biweekly payroll deductions.

To what extent are pet license fees contributing to your overall budget? Dog license fees fund approximately 14.6% of our budget.

What is something you are raising funds for today specifically? We have established a veterinary medical care trust fund to provide enhanced veterinary care to the homeless pets received at our animal shelters. This fund will help us save the lives of pets who require extensive medical procedures. Individuals can donate to the fund through our non-profit charitable organization, the Animals aRe First Fund (ARFF), through ARFF’s website at: https://arffund.org/

Do you have any specific advice for pet owners that you’d like to share? Please remember to spay/neuter, vaccinate and license your pets. Sterilizing your pet companion offers many health benefits to your pet and helps to control pet overpopulation. Your license tag can be your pet’s phone call home if your pet becomes lost. In addition, please remember to prepare for natural disasters and wildfires by having an emergency evacuation plan for your family, which includes your pets.

Is there anything else you want to let us know so we can get the word out? We’d like to promote the Animals aRe First Fund (ARFF) and encourage individuals to contribute to ARFF, which supports our onsite and offsite sponsored pet adoption events. Our events are listed on our social media and Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/SBCountyAnimalCare/

For more information about San Bernardino County Animal Care, visit
animalcare.sbcounty.gov or call 1-800-472-5609.