Contact:
Bryant.Almeida@ocfl.net
Zachary.downes@ocfl.net

Orange County Animal Services Experiences Influx of Dogs, Offers Weeklong Promotion to Encourage Residents to Adopt

Orange County, FL – Orange County Animal Services (OCAS) reopened its dog intake and adoption areas following a brief quarantine for a respiratory disease last week. The shelter is already caring for a significant number of dogs, currently 214, and bracing for a heavy week of intakes. The shelter is taking this opportunity to encourage residents to foster or adopt a shelter pet, offering discount adoption fees for select pets this week.

The event starts June 24, 2024, and runs through June 30, 2024. To celebrate the summer and family vacation, adoption fees for all pets with destination names will be waived. OCAS has nearly 700 pets under its umbrella of care at the moment, 397 at the shelter by the Mall at Millenia and an additional 270 in foster homes.

“During our brief closure, we encouraged residents who had found any stray dogs to hold onto them until our reopening, we know many of those pets will be returning this week so we’re bracing for several days of high intake and hoping the adoption interest matches what we have coming in,” said Diane Summers, Manager for Orange County Animal Services. “We have so many wonderful, loving, healthy dogs here, many who have been sitting and waiting for weeks or months for someone to give them a second glance.”

The shelter is typically at or beyond capacity during the summer months, when “kitten season” is at its peak. OCAS continues to remind residents the summer months are when stray cats are breeding more which leads to more kittens.

“During the first three weeks of this month we took in more than 350 cats and kittens,” said Summers. “We ask each year for our residents that have found kittens to please leave them be and allow the mother cat the opportunity to return. In the vast majority of circumstances, the mother cat returns, and the family is safe, but separating neonatal kittens from their mother jeopardizes their health and wellbeing, yet people continue this practice with well-intended, but misguided intentions.”

The shelter needs additional foster homes, both for cats and dogs, to achieve the greatest lifesaving possible. OCAS provides all essential care supplies and veterinary needs for pets in its foster care program.

The shelter keeps a live tally of dogs and cats in the shelter on the main page of its website. Information on the adoption process and foster program onboarding can also be found online.

About Orange County Government: Orange County Government strives to serve its residents and guests with integrity, honesty, fairness and professionalism. Located in Central Florida, Orange County includes 13 municipalities and is home to world-famous theme parks, one of the nation’s largest convention centers and a thriving life science research park. Seven elected members make up the Board of County Commissioners, including the Mayor, who is elected countywide. For more information, please visit www.OCFL.net or go to Orange County Government’s social media channels.

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