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How Do I?

• You can purchase county dog licenses at either the Animal Shelter or at the Treasurer’s Office, which is located in the Gordon building on Main Street. Please bring a copy of your pet’s current rabies vaccination certificate with you as we will need to verify the expiration date. The cost is $2 per animal for sterilized dogs or $10 per animal for intact males/females. Kennel tags are only available at the Treasurer’s Office.
  
  
• You can re-claim a lost pet if it has gone stray and found its way into the Shelter. Please call us as soon as you realize your cat or dog has gone missing and file a “lost report” which gives us pertinent information such as gender, age, breed, color, location last seen, etc. This way, we can call you immediately should an animal fitting the profile be brought in. When you come to pick up your pet, please bring your current valid rabies certificate with you as well as your county license receipt (dogs only; N/A for cats). If you don’t have current paperwork, don’t worry; you can still pick up your pet right away. We will ask for a deposit ($15 each) but you will receive a refund if you are able to update your records and bring in proof within a two week time period. Boarding fees are $5 each day your pet stayed with us.
  
  
• Residents of Orange County can obtain financial assistance for spay/neuter by stopping by the Animal Shelter during normal business hours and asking for a certificate. These certificates are used just like coupons and are good for 60 days from date of issue. All veterinarians in Orange County participate in this program as do many in the surrounding counties (if their office is not local, please call your vet of choice first to verify that they will accept the certificate).
  
  
• If you are having behavioral problems with your pet, please call us to see if we can help. If you must relinquish a pet, please bring all pertinent vaccination records with you. Write a list of what your pet enjoys, dislikes, and is good at. Include such information as whether or not he/she was kept indoors or out, was ever around children or other animals, is housebroken or not, etc. Please be honest as we need to know as much as possible about what type of home would be best for your loved one. We can only accept animals from Orange County residents, strays found in the county or returned adoptions from our facility.
  
  
• If you have a few hours each day, week or month and would like to volunteer, please download a volunteer application or stop by and pick one up! We would love to have you at the Shelter and welcome as little or as much time as you wish to spend. Volunteers get to do all of the fun stuff like walking dogs, running play groups, letting the cats out to play, washing puppies, grooming dogs, and sitting with shy dogs who just need a friend. We are thrilled to have volunteers here every day of the week save Sunday. Also, as we do not euthanize for length of stay, you can rest assured that the animals you played with today will be here tomorrow (unless they’re adopted)! Please come out and make even one animal’s day a little brighter.
  
  
• If you would like to adopt a dog or cat you may begin by downloading and filling out a copy of the “Pre-Adoption Screening” form. You can also view profiles of some of our available pets on Petfinder.com. We welcome you to come out to the shelter with your family to meet our furry friends. You may bring your current dogs with you to meet ‘n greet, too! We have two areas set up like living rooms in which you get to spend time with the animals you are considering. You can also take them for walks or let them loose in the play yard to see how they interact with you. Once you have found the right animal for your (and their) personality and lifestyle, we will review your paperwork. If approved, you will receive copies of your new pet’s medical records, a free 4 lb. bag of dry food and for dogs, a free leash and either collar or harness (while supplies last). Adoption fees for in-county residents are $55 for a dog or puppy and $45 for a cat or kitten. Adoption fees for individuals outside of Orange County are $60 for a dog or puppy and $50 for a cat or kitten. Please note that if you rent your home, we need either a copy of your lease agreement or a letter from your landlord outlining any restrictions on the number, size or breed of pets you are permitted to have. Animals will only be adopted to persons 18 years of age or older.
  
  
• If you have a big heart and some space in your home, please consider volunteering to foster a Shelter dog or cat. In many cases we have shy dogs, baby kittens and others who need a little TLC prior to going up for adoption. The Shelter provides all of the food, medicines, vet care and supplies for fostered animals. Foster care can be easy or challenging depending upon what type of situation you sign up for; it is totally your choice. Sometimes we are just very crowded and need temporary homes for healthy, well-adjusted dogs and cats. Sometimes we have dogs being treated for Heartworm who need to be kept crated, quiet and hand-walked. Sometimes we have orphaned kittens who need to be bottle fed. Please fill out a volunteer application, give us a call and come on out to see who needs you now!