By C.J.
There is a cottage on 2260 7th Street around the corner from the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter (SCCAS) ready to welcome you. It houses an amazing upscale thrift gift shop that raises funds to support the s helter and after only one year it has become more than the best kept secret in town.
Gently used high quality items ready for heart centered gift giving await you. The wonderful part is you find a gift for the fraction of the cost of it’s value, and 100% of the proceeds support the shelters ever growing programs and services as well as the safety net and second chance for local animals in need.
One gift sure to create mischief is the amazing “ooh la la” Llamanure! A natural, nutrient rich local product that is seriously deficient in fragrance (seriously!). Donated by a generous Cottage Shop volunteer, who took in abandoned Llamas, it’s serious fertilizer for the garden mavericks on my list and a wonderful conversation starter.
Every month we see a SCCAS Featured Pet in this fun-filled publication singing praises of an animal looking for a home. The volunteers and staff at Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter tend to fall in love quickly with the residents in their shelters. At the Santa Cruz and Watsonville center locations there’s essentially 24/7 care for lost and unwanted pets — and that’s only a glimpse of what this organization offers. The Watsonville center is located at 580 Airport Boulevard.
Each year SCCAS rescues and assures safe and temporary shelter, as well as veterinary and humane care, for about 6,000 stray, unwanted, abandoned, mistreated and injured animals. SCCAS also provides 24-hour/365-days-a-year animal rescue service and is Santa Cruz County’s only full service, open admission animal shelter.
Most guest pets at the center are meowing or barking. Chickens, pigs and all nonwildlife animals also find a place of comfort while staff continues their sensitive outreach for permanent homes. None are turned away. SCCAS’ Animal Control Officers rescue and bring many animals to the shelter and there Animal Sheltering Services provide safekeeping for family pets when an emergency has compromised their homes, through fires, floods, hospitalization or death.
A shelter has a big job and fortunately there are ways for all of us to help even if we don’t have the space or time for a full time pet of our own. While adoption is a big focus and includes clear guidance on how to be a responsible new pet owner, many opportunities to assist might be a match for you. I’m working with a committee to make available information on having a plan in place should we find ourselves unable to care for our pets during relocation, illness, hospital stays or death. It’s a sensitive and often ignored topic that the staff at the shelter are handling with clarity and compassion.
The Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter also counts on all of us to be the eyes and ears in the community to report animal abuse or neglect animals so they can be helped. This can be done anonymously so these victims can be helped. Many important volunteer options are easily fit into busy schedules to have you enjoying warm fuzzy feelings similar to that stimulated when looking at the picture of the pet of the month.
Learn more about, SCCAS’ progressive programs such as The Foster Care Program, Planned PetHood, Youth Outreach, Safe Haven, Extra Mile Fund, DoortoDoor, at www.scanimalsshelter.org because they can do more with our help!