The Adoption Process: AALOC is a no-kill, nonprofit organization dedicated to rescuing dogs and cats from shelters, the streets and neglectful or abusive situations. We assist all animals that we have room for and have no preconditions. We rescue all ages, all breeds, including animals with medical conditions. We commit to care for them as if they were our own pets, with the best food, veterinary care, training and love until they find a family and a home that is safe, loving, and forever. We are not "in a hurry to get rid of them" and we select homes that will continue to care for them as we have. We do everything possible to ensure that their lives will only get better once they come through our doors, into our hearts, and eventually yours.

Adoption Requirements:

Adoption application, veterinary reference, and home visit required.

The Adoption Application assists us in finding a pet that is a good match for you, your family, your other pets, and your lifestyle.

The Veterinary Reference is required. We will call veterinarians who have taken care of your pets to confirm that they have received appropriate care. If you have never owned a pet or if your veterinarian no longer has your files, we regret that we will not be able to approve your application.

The Home Visit is done in or near Orange County by a volunteer member of the Kennel Committee who will bring the dog or cat you want to adopt to your home when all family members are present. You will have time to spend with the pet in your home before making a final decision to adopt. Pets are checked for compatibility. Pets are not adopted on home visits.

• Pools/spas/jacuzzis/ponds must be fenced to keep the pet safe. Animal Control reports many drowned pets in OC pools every year!
• Fences and gates must be a minimum 5-6 feet tall and gates locked.
• Dog doors for small pets are not approved. Coyotes populate all areas of Orange County, can easily jump 8-10 foot fencing, and hunt both day and night.
• All poisonous plants, fertilizer, snail bait, slug killer, ant bait, etc. must be removed permanently.

The Adoption is approved if you and AALOC agree that it is a good match. Over 40,000 dogs and cats are killed in California shelters every month.

AAL has many opportunities for animal lovers who would like to make a difference in the lives of our precious rescued animals. The dogs and cats benefit greatly by being around people and receiving love, cuddling and socialization. Animal socialization and companionship increases the dog or cat's probability of being adopted into a loving home. Volunteering is very rewarding for you and the animals.

AALOC VOLUNTEER NEEDS:

• Walking, socializing, playing with dogs
• Playing, socializing cats and kittens
• Bathing, grooming dogs and cats
• Transporting dogs and cats for routine and emergency vet care
• Help at adoption events
• Foster a dog or cat in your home after a spay/neuter (1-2 days), longer for special needs
• Webmaster skills, using dreamweaver program
• Photographing, videotaping dogs and cats for our website, newsletters
• Repair and maintenance of our no-kill rescue facility
• Monthly "spruce up the kennel" cleaning days
• Gardening help at our Humane Center
• Trap/Neuter/Return feral cats, assist with feeding of feral colonies
• Help with Outreach, Public Relations and Humane Education
• Help at fundraising events (luncheons, silent auctions, garage sales, theater nights, casino nights, motorcycle poker runs, sell candy & Entertainment Books, solicit donations from businesses)
• Arts/Crafts, making or soliciting for various fundraisers
• Grant Writing

Volunteer Orientation

Please call the AALOC Humane Center to obtain an volunteer application and schedule an interview at (714) 893-4393. Approved applicants will be contacted and scheduled to attend the required orientation.

Attendance at a General Orientation is required of all volunteers

Attendance at a Kennel Orientation is required of all volunteers approved to work directly with the animals. Minimal age is 18 years and a minimum commitment of 3 months with 4 hours per month is requested.

Download Application here:

Volunteer Form

At every possible opportunity, AALOC does what it can to educate the public regarding animal welfare and how to keep pets safe. As an example, during the 4th of July holiday, hundreds of flyers are posted at firework stands or distributed to vet offices, groomers or other businesses that cater to pets. These flyers highlight the dangers to pets during this holiday. Many are terrified by the loud booms from fireworks and escape from their homes. They end up in the county shelter, or worse, are killed or injured when they run into traffic. Every piece of literature that we send out has a note to spay or neuter pets. If anyone enters a county shelter and knows the statistics about the numbers of animals that are euthanized because no one wants them, will begin to see the severity of the problem.

Download Flier here:

English

Spanish

Provide Your Pet A Way Home While Benefiting Animals In Need.

All net proceeds from the microchip program will help ill or injured animals in our community in desperate need of veterinary care.

The AVID Microchip contains a personal one-of-a-kind identification number and is a safe and effective way to identify your pet. The Orange County Animal Care Center, as well as many other animal shelters across the country, scans all found pets for a microchip so that the lost pets can be reunited with their owners quickly. The microchip is also proof of ownership of a lost pet in a shelter.

The cost is $45, which includes AVID microchip placement by a veterinarian and AVID registration to the owner. This is a great price, as the combination of these items will typically cost twice as much.

For more information, please call (714) 893-4393

Regarding Home Again Microchips

Home Again has been told by AKC that they have transferred all information that was current up to the beginning of February 2005 and they can not be sure your chip has been definitely transferred unless you call them and verify the info- therefore they are requesting that all H.A. chip users call them.

for example, all dogs that rescues have "adopted" & rescued (not a rescue pull) from Cumberland County Animal Control were chipped with Home Again. Just call Home Again (866) 738.4324, and make sure your dog's info has been transferred. (www.HomeAgainID.com)

If, for some reason, you do not have your dog's chip number you will have to get them scanned by your vet or a local shelter to obtain it (please write it down somewhere safe for future reference) and then call Home Again to verify they have your dog's info and that it is correct.

This program provides financial donations to low-income, elderly and disabled pet owners who need help with transportation, emergency and routine veterinary care, as well as pet food supplies for those suffering financial hardships.

Download Forms here:

Financial Help

AALOC receives calls regularly from pet owners who plead for pet food to feed their pets who have not eaten in several days, from pet owners who are now having to live in their cars with their pets, and those who have found themselves suddenly unemployed and not able to make ends meet. A bag of pet food can be lifesaving and keep a pet owner from having to abandon a pet at a shelter because of hard times.

AALOC accepts donations of pet food for distribution to pet owners suffering financial hardship. Pet food must be unopened, not expired, and have donor information attached. Please contact AALOC to help feed our neighbors pets during hard times: aaloc@aaloc.org or (714) 893-4393

Many animals that end up in county shelters are never offered up for adoption. There are a number of reasons why, such as an injury like a broken leg, or demodex mange, completely and easily curable. Most of the time these animals are healthy and would be a good pet to someone. Because the county is so overwhelmed with lost or unwanted animals, there is no time, or money, to treat them. Their only chance is to be taken in by a rescue group. Many times these groups need help to pay for veterinary care. If AALOC has sufficient funding, a pledge will be made to the group if they have agreed to rescue one of these cats or dogs.

The Animal Assistance League Helpline is a free telephone pet helpline. The helpline takes lost and found reports and advises owners of the necessary steps that will help them locate their lost pets. The helpline answers pet related questions and offers veterinary referrals for low-cost spay/neuter, vaccinations, and vet care.

Download Forms here:

Found a Pet

Lost a Pet

Place a Pet

Financial Help

Good Identification Can be Your Pet's Ticket Home!

Lost pets can not tell anyone where they live.

Everyday should be Tag Day! If we could keep our own pets from getting lost, the shelters would not be so crowded and there would be room for the real homeless pets. Many area shelters do not take pets given up by their owners; however, county shelters have to take every animal in regardless of space. This means when the shelters are full, an animal must be adopted or euthanized to make room for each one coming in. One third of the dogs in the shelter are reclaimed by their owners. Less than 3% of cats are reclaimed. This all contributes to high euthanasia numbers.

The Animal Assistance League of Orange County has a Helpline at 714- 891-PETS to help reunite lost pets and their owners.

AALOC recommends an ID tag and license with 2 phone numbers on a not too tight, not too loose collar. Include a cell phone number since you won't be home answering your home telephone number if someone calls who has found your pet....you will be out looking for your lost pet and will be able to be reached by your cell number.

A microchip stays with the pet even if the collar comes off. All shelters should have a scanner to check for microchips. Some people like tattoos for identification, just make sure that the shelter has the information enabling them to read the tattoo. Make sure that there are locks on your gates if your dogs are outdoors, and never allow your cats outside to roam. Small dogs and "escape artists" benefit from having secure screen doors that assist the pet owner with opening the door without letting the pet escape.

Watch for fence heights and remember that if you have a plantar, barbeque, piles of wood, trash cans, or furniture piled next to your wall, you have cut your fence height down to less than half, allowing the dog to jump on the object and then climb over the fence. Never tie a dog down to keep it from jumping. Safe and cheap alternatives are available, including lattice additions to the top of the fence, coyote rollers, invisible fencing, and keeping your pet inside.

Remember neutered pets are less apt to stray!