Orange County Animal Care has recently modified its COVID-era adoption protocols in a bid to enhance pet adoptions. During the peak of the pandemic, potential adopters were restricted to viewing pets exclusively online. If individuals were interested in meeting a potential furry companion, they were required to schedule an appointment and adhere to specified visiting hours, a system some owners found restrictive.
Pet owner Deanne Peterson shared her experience, stating, “We had to make an appointment. We could only see one animal at a time, and it was a little bit more limited. So, if it didn’t work out … We had to make another appointment and come back later.”
Despite the constraints, spokesperson Alexa Pratt asserted that the appointment system led to increased adoptions. “Appointments were needed because they found that it lessened the stress on the animals, and as a result of our pilot programs, we saw that people who actually made an appointment or walked in for that one-on-one appointment resulted in way more adoptions than people just browsing the kennels,” Pratt explained.
However, acknowledging the desire for a more flexible approach, the shelter in Tustin has introduced a 7-day program allowing prospective pet owners to browse the kennel areas without scheduling appointments. Animal advocates, including Mona Ueda and Elly Kyle, emphasized the importance of allowing people to interact closely with the animals.
“You want to meet the dog, let’s go out and go into the yard and meet the dog — and see if it’s a good fit,” said Ueda. “We feel like that’s a better way to make a good fit with a dog than looking at a picture on the computer.”
Ueda highlighted that the new approach would enable potential owners to interact with more than one or two dogs a day. The kennels at the Tustin center are now open daily between 2 and 5 p.m., providing a more accessible and spontaneous opportunity for individuals to connect with their future animal companions.
