FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 21, 2025

Contact:  Christopher Valles, accpio@animalcare.lacounty.gov

Los Angeles, CA – In an effort to better care for surrendered animals and quickly connect them to loving homes, the Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control (DACC) announced that effective April 16, 2025, pet owners would no longer be required to make an appointment to surrender a pet at any of the County’s seven Animal Care Centers.

This change reflects DACC’s continued commitment to compassionately support community members during difficult times while improving outcomes for pets entering the care system.

Why This Change Was Made

DACC’s decision was informed by ongoing challenges with the prior appointment-based system and a desire to improve the quality of care for animals and support for pet owners in crisis.

• With the previous protocols, appointment availability was limited and often not timely enough to meet urgent needs of pet owners.
• As a result, some pet owners resorted to misreporting their pets as strays to DACC staff to bypass the system and hand over their pets immediately instead of waiting for the next appointment, which:
• • Hindered DACC’s ability to gather essential background on the pet’s behavior, personality, and medical history that would provide crucial context for their next owner.
  • Complicated the rehoming process due to the mandatory 72-hour stray holding period, which delayed adoption readiness when pets could have been quickly rehomed if they were brought in as an owner surrender.

• In more distressing situations, some individuals abandoned pets in parking lots and in the open desert due to desperation, putting animals at risk and overwhelming DACC’s staff.

• By admitting pets as owner surrenders, animals can be made immediately available for adoption, helping them transition more quickly to a new, loving home.

DACC’s Continued Support for Pet Owners

DACC remains committed to offering alternative means of support to ideally help families keep their pets or find humane rehoming solutions when needed.

DACC encourages pet owners to explore the following resources before choosing to surrender their pets:

• Food assistance vouchers
• Medical care vouchers
• Guidance with pet-friendly housing
• Rehoming assistance through partner networks
• Referrals to local rescue groups

More information and assistance options can be found at: animalcare.lacounty.gov/rehome-your-pet

How to Surrender a Pet

If you have explored all alternatives and determined that surrendering your pet is the best option:

• Visit your local DACC Animal Care Center during regular business hours, no appointment necessary. Not sure if your area is served by DACC? You can check via our services located here:  https://locator.lacounty.gov/animal/shelters
• Trained staff will be available to guide you through the process with compassion and professionalism, ensuring your pet receives the best possible care.

Our Ongoing Commitment to Animal Welfare:

DACC continues to focus on reducing euthanasia of adoptable animals and expanding placement opportunities by:

• Promoting adoptable pets through expanded outreach and social media campaigns.
• Increasing adoption events both onsite and in the community.
• Coordinating transport programs to transfer adoptable animals to partners in other states where demand is higher.

About the Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control (DACC)

DACC is one of the largest animal care and control agencies in the nation, operating seven animal care centers and providing services to more than three million residents and their pets. DACC operates under the nationally recognized Socially Conscious Sheltering model to ensure the best possible outcomes for animals and the community. As a community resource center for pets and owners, DACC protects people and animals from harm, provides care for lost and unwanted animals, reunites lost pets with their families, and strives every day to move closer to its goal of finding a loving home for every adoptable pet that comes through its doors. To learn more about DACC, the resources DACC provides, and view its animals, visit https://animalcare.lacounty.gov  or follow us on Facebook, Instagram , and X (formerly Twitter).  To support DACC’s efforts, please donate to the Los Angeles County Animal Care Foundation at https://lacountyanimals.org/.  To learn more about Socially Conscious Sheltering, visit https://scsheltering.org/.