Orange County Animal Care has eased its rules during COVID, hoping it will boost pet adoptions.
At the height of the pandemic, the organization will only allow people to view pets online. If interested adopters want to meet their potential new furry friend, they need to schedule an appointment and come to visiting hours. However, these adjustments will be limited, according to some owners.
“We have to make an appointment. We only see one animal at a time and it’s pretty limited,” said pet owner Deanne Peterson. “So, if it didn’t work out… We had to make another appointment and come back later.”
Despite the outdated methods, spokeswoman Alexa Pratt said it resulted in more adoption.
“The appointments were necessary because they found it reduced stress on the animals, and as a result of our pilot programs, we’re saying that the people who actually made an appointment or came in for that one-on-one appointment were actually resulted in way more adoption than people just browsing the jails,” Pratt said.
Although the appointments seem to be working, on Wednesday afternoon, the shelter in Tustin launched a 7-day program that allows prospective pet owners to browse the shelter areas without any appointment. Animal advocates including Mona Ueda and Elly Kyle say people need to get up close and personal with animals.
“You want to meet the dog, let’s go out and go to the yard and meet the dog – and see if it’s a good fit,” Ueda said. “We feel that’s a better way to fit a dog than looking at a picture on the computer.”
Ueda added that the new method will help owners see more than one or two dogs a day.
The kennels at the Tustin center are open daily between 2 and 5 pm
