County of Santa Clara Animal Shelter Achieves 94.3% Live-Release Rate, One of California’s Highest
SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CALIF. – The County of Santa Clara’s Animal Services Department, which includes the animal shelter and the animal care and control unit, has achieved 94.3% live-release rate – one of the best in California.
A no-kill shelter achieves a rate of 90% or greater and the County’s shelter has successfully achieved this status since 2013. Shelters must commit to save healthy or treatable animals even when a shelter is full, and to only utilize euthanasia for terminally ill animals or those considered dangerous to public safety.
The County of Santa Clara Animal Shelter first reached this status in 2013 with a live-release rate of 90.3%. The current 94.3% live release rate represents the shelter’s highest percentage ever. Additionally, the shelter is an open admission shelter meaning all animals are accepted from County service areas, regardless of temperament and condition.
“I am proud of our Animal Shelter’s 94.3% live-release rate, especially since they take in all animals, regardless of their condition,” said Santa Clara County Supervisor, Mike Wasserman. “Our animal services team ensures that dogs, cats, horses, chickens, rabbits, and many other animals are rescued and provided forever homes.”
While a new state-of-the-art animal services center is scheduled to open in 2021, the current facility is more than 40-years-old and less than one-twentieth the size of the future home, making the no-kill rate that much more impressive. Animal Shelter staff members have worked tirelessly to achieve and maintain the shelter’s status. An active fostering program, spay and neuter efforts, adoptions, donations, and volunteering have all played a critical role in saving many animal lives.
“I like to think of us as the ‘Little Shelter that Could’,” said Animal Shelter Program Manager Lisa Jenkins. “Despite the limitations and size of our building, we are able to provide great care and positive outcomes for the animals here. I think our success lies in the empowerment of our community. We look for ways to say ‘yes’ when people want to help shelter pets.”
One example of that is the Shelter’s Foster Field Trip Program which allows animal lovers to pick up a dog from the shelter for a daytime outing or even a weekend sleepover. Many of the pets end up being adopted by their new friend, or gain an advocate who ultimately helps to find a great adoptive family. The dogs also get valuable time experiencing life outside of the shelter to decompress and show their personalities.
The shelter’s life-saving doesn’t stop at the county lines. When animal shelters in neighboring communities are beyond capacity, the County of Santa Clara Animal Shelter steps in to bring pets to safety and give them a second chance.
The public can donate to the County of Santa Clara Animal Shelter at www.sccountypets.org. The new state-of-the-art animal services center that will break ground later this year will become one of the preeminent animal services facilities in the country.
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About the County of Santa Clara, California
The County of Santa Clara government serves a diverse, multi-cultural population of 1.9 million residents in Santa Clara County, the sixth largest county in California. With a $7 billion budget, more than 70 agencies/departments and 20,000 employees, the County of Santa Clara plans for the needs of a dynamic community, offers quality services, and promotes a healthy, safe and prosperous community for all. The County provides essential services including public health and environmental protection, medical services through Santa Clara Valley Medical Center (SCVMC), child and adult protection services, homelessness prevention and solutions, roads, parks, libraries, emergency response to disasters, protection of minority communities and those under threat, access to a fair criminal justice system, and scores of other services, particularly for those members of our community in the greatest need.
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Media Contact: Roger Ross, Consumer & Environmental Protection Agency, (408) 918-4620.