Boost in animal care approved

This article was originally published by The Acorn.

Financial hardship should not come between pets and their human companions.

That’s the idea behind the Pets for Life program, an initiative through Ventura County Animals Services that will allow VCAS to continue providing essential services that help families in need keep their pets at home, rather than surrender them because of financial hardship or housing instability.

The $289,000 grant is made possible through the Humane Society of the United States and Ventura County Community Foundation.

Local officials are giving the initiative two paws up.

The Ventura County Board of Supervisors approved acceptance of the grant on March 18. The goal is to reduce the number of pets entering shelters by addressing the underlying challenges that lead to pet relinquishment.

Esteban Rodriguez, director of Ventura County Animal Services, said that VCAS has been able to target places where the financial struggles of the day put pets at risk of being left behind.

“We are incredibly proud of the success of our Pets for Life program,” Rodriguez said. “Going door-to-door in underserved areas of our county is exactly the level of grassroots support our residents and their animals need.”

County officials say the program has been able to provide more than 100 free microchips to help reunite lost pets with their families, repair fences, build dog runs to improve pet safety, and offer financial and emotional support to pet owners in crisis.

In 2023, Pets for Life assisted 111 families and their 215 pets, providing food, veterinary care and essential pet supplies.

Local shelters are full and then some. By preventing surrenders before they happen, the services help keep pets with their families while also easing the strain on shelters, the county says.

Each day in 2023 across the United States, 13,000 dogs and cats animals entered shelters, statistics show, and while 83% of the animals were saved, thousands more were not.

—Acorn staff report