OC animal shelter seeks homes for five pets as May fee waivers begin

Orange County Animal Care is looking to place five dogs and cats in permanent homes this month, as the shelter is waiving adoption fees for all dogs weighing 25 pounds or more throughout May, Voice of OC reported.

The fee waiver lowers the cost barrier for adopting large dogs at a time when OC Animal Care in Tustin serves 14 contract cities across the county and depends on community adoptions to manage its shelter population.

The five available animals include Garbonzo, a 3-year-old, 31-pound English pitbull mix who has been at the shelter for about a week and qualifies for the May fee waiver, according to Voice of OC.

Sheena, a 5-year-old Siberian husky weighing 60 pounds, has been at the shelter for roughly a month. Described as shy at first but friendly once she is comfortable, she is available through the shelter's foster-to-adopt program, which lets prospective owners care for a pet before committing to adoption.

Rodney, a 6-year-old pug weighing 19 pounds, rounds out the trio of adoptable dogs. Shelter staff recommend him for households without young children, Voice of OC reported.

Two cats are also looking for homes: Julia, a 5-year-old gray domestic shorthair at 12.8 pounds who arrived as a stray about a month ago, and Ranger, a 3-year-old orange and white domestic shorthair at 6.7 pounds who also came in as a stray.

The Noble Friends Foundation sponsored a free microchip clinic May 2 at OC Animal Care, offering services to the first 100 animals at least eight weeks old from 8 to 11 a.m. Residents of the 14 cities that contract with the county — including Anaheim, Huntington Beach, Santa Ana, Tustin and Yorba Linda — were eligible to participate, according to Voice of OC.

OC Animal Care is open daily from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Appointments are required for adoption visits.