Animal Sheltering in the COVID-19 Era
With many of us working from home during the pandemic, we are spending a lot more time with our pets. Internet jokes and memes abound with blissful dogs celebrating the near 24/7 human companionship and angry cats protesting the disruption of their daytime napping schedule. While our own pets undoubtedly get to spend more time with us, the pandemic has also changed the way animal shelters across the country, including Pasadena Humane, care for homeless pets.
At the start of the pandemic, Pasadena Humane, an essential business, made the decision to move towards appointment-based services. To limit the number of staff and volunteers onsite, we put out an urgent call for foster volunteers. Hundreds of community members stepped up and the majority of the shelter’s dogs, cats and small critters were placed into foster homes within days.
With all of our pets in foster, the next challenge was developing a virtual adoption process that prioritized safely placing animals into permanent homes. We quickly launched an online adoption process allowing prospective pet parents to apply for a pet through our website. And, as of July 2020, over 500 pets have been adopted, the majority directly from their foster homes.
As COVID-19 continues to impact our daily lives, Pasadena Humane is shifting to better meet the needs of animals and the people who love them. Our brand new Animal Resource Center seeks to keep families together by providing pet guardians with the support and resources to avoid surrendering their pet to the shelter. And our Pet Food Bank has expanded its reach to ensure all pets have access to nutritious food and essential supplies. By helping pets and people stay together, we are building a stronger, more humane community.
We’ve made changes in other areas as well. The kennels remain closed to drop-in visitors, but the majority of our programs and services, like adoptions and lost & found, are available by appointment. We’ve moved our training sessions, kids activities and community programming 100% online. And we’ve safely re-opened our pet supply store to walk-in customers.
The global pandemic forced us to quickly shift operations, but we’ve never faltered in our commitment to the animals. Instead, we’ve found new and innovative ways to serve people and pets, many of which will continue long after the pandemic is over.
Learn more and stay up to date with all the new and exciting things happening at Pasadena Humane by visiting pasadenahumane.org.
Contact Information:
361 S. Raymond Ave.
Pasadena, CA 91105
626.792.7151
24 Hour Emergency Service: 626.792.7151 ext. 102
hello@pasadenahumane.org
