Animals still available for adoption at shelter
Wendy Alexander/The Madera Tribune
The Salas family visits with, Henderson, during the Clear the Shelter event at the Madera Animal Shelter on Sept. 18. Henderson is an Irish wolfhound/mix with special medical needs. Henderson needs a forever home. For more information on Henderson contact the Madera Animal Shelter.
After a very successful Clear the Shelters event on Saturday, the Madera County Animal Shelter still has plenty of animals to adopt.
“We had 12 dogs adopted and nine cats on Saturday,” said Madera County Animal Services Director Cindy Avila. “That’s very good for a three-hour window. We were very pleased with the number of people who came through. We still have about 85 dogs that need to be adopted and about 50-60 cats that need to be adopted.”
The animal shelter currently has a special for medium-large dogs, six months of age or older only $25, which is a savings of $100. Nuts and Bolts Animal Advocates also sponsored 65 cats to be adopted for free and the shelter still has some available.
Some potential animal owners may be shocked when they don’t see an adoption fee when they purchase their animals.
“We had one person start it online to sponsor four of the $25 dogs, which are a medium-large dog adoption fee,” Avila said. “He challenged other people on social media to do the same. We ended up with about 30 dogs sponsored. Those are the dogs we are having the hardest time getting adopted.”
Avila hopes that by lowering the fee and having a chance to have the adoption fees already paid will encourage potential animals owners to head to the Madera County Animal Shelter or its website.
“The less they have to pay, the more they are apt to adopt. There are people out there who would be great pet owners, but can’t afford the $125 adoption fee. By lowering the prices, we are opening doors for more people to adopt.
“We’re removing all the barriers that we possibly can. We are trying to make it easier for a greater number of people to adopt an animal. If you’ve been wanting the adopt an animal, but the price has been holding you back, this is your opportunity.”
Avila encourages any potential animal owner to head to the Madera County Animal Shelter website to see what they have available before making an appointment (https://www.maderacounty.com/government/animal-services/current-dogs-at-the-madera-animal-shelter or https://www.maderacounty.com/government/animal-services/current-cats-at-the-madera-animal-shelter).
“It’s always best to go on the website because every animal that comes through these doors gets their picture on the website,” she said. “It has their ages, sex and a little bit about them. It’s best to look online to see an animal that may interest you. You then call to set up an appointment and say which animal you want. Of course, people can look at other dogs when they are here, but it’s good to get a general idea before they come in.”
When it’s time to make an appointment, go to https://user.govoutreach.com/maderaco/faq.php?cmd=shell, click + New Issues on the blue task bar and go to Community Resources. When requesting an appointment through the link, staff will make contact in 24 business hours with available dates/times.
“We have to clean in the mornings,” Avila said. “The appointments start at 11 a.m. through 4 p.m. We do make exceptions. Sometimes, we’ll get a walk in and if we’re available, we will walk them around.”
Avila said she is keeping the shelter closed to the open public because it helps keep the animals calm.
“The animals went nuts all day Saturday,” she said. “They would be losing their mind if we were open to the public every day.”
