To reduce shelter overcrowding and to encourage adoptions, OC Animal Care in the city of Orange is waiving regular fees starting Thursday until capacity at the shelter drops below 60 percent.
"We hope that by waiving adoption fees, this will provide an additional incentive for the swift and responsible adoption of shelter animals to prevent overcrowding and provide them with loving new homes," said board chairwoman Lisa Bartlett.
Regular adoption fees, with the exception of a $27 charge for rabies licenses, will be waived -- a motion that was approved by the Orange County Board of Supervisors Oct. 25.
The waiver calls for fees to be waived whenever the shelter's capacity exceeds 80 percent. OC Animal Care has been hovering at around 95 percent capacity for the last several weeks, housing 575 to 630 animals -- which is about 200 more than what it houses during the busiest times of the year. One hundred fifty of the 200 rabbits that were seized from a home last month remain at the shelter.
"This fee waiver program is a win-win scenario," said Supervisor Andrew Do. "We are reducing the county's animal shelter costs, while making it easier for families to adopt a new pet."
For more information, visit OC Animal Care's website.
