Community Spotlight: The Castaic Animal Shelter

The French poet and journalist Anatole France said, “Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.” Civil Rights leader Mahatma Gandhi took it one step further, stating, “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”
You can make a difference in the life of an animal at Castaic Animal Shelter,
part of The Department of Animal Care & Control of LA County. Hundreds of dogs, cats, tortoises, birds and other animals are just waiting to be adopted.
Karen Stepp, Animal Care Manager at the facility said they intake 40 to 50 dogs a month and approximately 5,500 animals a year.
All adoptable animals are microchipped and spayed or neutered. If you are interested in adopting and cannot take the animal with you the same day, there are Commitment to Adopt forms you can fill out to reserve the animal. Stepp said CTAs are only handled by a staff member and that individuals must be in person to fill out the form. The adoption fee is $50 and there is a small cost for the animal license. After the adoption, a free post-adoption vet exam is included.
The Castaic shelter is home to several unique programs. Grooming Gives Hope facilitates a groomer visiting the shelter to work on dogs with matted or mangy fur twice a month. Stepp said this improves the dog’s mood and as a result, pups are more adoptable. The Dreams Come True program enables pets with injuries surgical attention and intervention. Both animal care options are paid for by the Animal Care Foundation.
Perhaps the most innovative program is KLAWS – Kids Loving Animals Within Shelters. Stepp explained that elementary school children visit the shelter and read to the dogs. Believe it or not, they (dogs) listen and pay attention. According to Stepp, the item they need most for donation are collars and leashes. What they receive most are blankets that serve as bedding for the cats and dogs.
As someone whose been through the process once said, “the adoption took time, but the love arrived instantly”.
The following is a list of guidelines to consider before you adopt:
• Make a lifelong commitment to your pet just as you would a child.
• Be prepared for a pet to affect other parts of your life just as you have the pet (can be 15 years for a dog and 20 years for a cat). Your pet’s well-being needs to be considered in all kinds of decisions, including travel, social life, relocating to a new home, adopting other pets, having children.
• Verify in advance that you’re allowed to keep a pet where you live.
• Make any necessary modifications to your yard and fence, if you have one, to provide for your pets’ safety and to prevent pets from escaping.
• Never give a pet as a gift.
• Choose a pet appropriate to your lifestyle and living situation.
• Never adopt a pet on a whim or because you feel it’s love at first sight.
• If you’re adopting a pet for kids understand that the responsibility is yours.
• Plan for a several week adjustment period during which there will be changes.
• Provide sufficient exercise and stimulation. Walk dogs according to individual need, provide playtime and appropriate toys for both dogs and cats, spend time just petting or talking to your pet and include the pet in family activities.
The Los Angeles County Animal Care Center (shelter) in Castaic is open Monday through Thursday from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. as well as Friday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is located at 31044 Charlie Canyon Road in Castaic. You can reach them at 661-257-3191.