Helping Keep Pets with People!
UPDATE: Due to a temporary lack of resources, Ventura County Animal Services (VCAS) will be unable to provide one-on-one customer support for those needing to discuss pet surrender. This suspension of service is only temporary. VCAS hopes to re-open this service in the near future.
If you’ve landed on this page then you likely need help with your pet. But before you surrender your pet, please consider other options that are available. Often, the issues you’re facing are easily fixed — and we can help you, allowing you to keep your pet as an important member of the family.
If you’ve landed on this page then you likely need help with your pet. But before you surrender your pet, please consider other options that are available. Often, the issues you’re facing are easily fixed — and we can help you, allowing you to keep your pet as an important member of the family.
Ventura County Animal Services understands, that there are some circumstances where surrendering your animal is unavoidable. We are here to to provide you with a multitude of resources and assistance to help keep your loved pet in your loving home. We offer low-cost vaccination clinics, pet food assisntace, behavioral recommendations, and so much more. We are here to help people and their pets.
How can we help you?
- Pet Behavior & Training
- Pet Pantry (help feeding your pet)
- Financial & Other Domestic Issues
- Veterinary Care Assistance
- Temporary Pet Housing (boarding facilities)
- Re-Homing Tips
- Re-Homing Your Pet (new)
- Re-Homing Pet List
- Pet Surrender (when you've tried everything else)
Remember, surrendering your pet to an animal shelter is the last resort when you have tried everything else. Shelters can be noisy, crowded and scary places. Please do your best to find a home for your pet before bringing them to the shelter. Your pet might live in a kennel for quite a while (sometimes or even years) before he/she finds a home.
Before bringing your pet to the shelter, be sure you have explored ALL other options:
1) Have you tried finding your pet a new home on your own?
2) Have you checked with family/friends/neighbors/coworkers to see if they can take your pet?
3) Have you tried re-homing your pet using our Courtesy Re-homing page?
4) Have you read our list of Re-Homing Tips that will increase your chances of finding a new home for your pet?
5) Have you listed your pet on www.NextDoor.com?
6) Have you tried temporarily boarding your pet until your life has settled down?
7) Have you talked with your doctor about obtaining a prescription for an “Emotional Support Animal?” This will allow you to have your pet even in homes that does not accept pets.
8) Have you tried setting up a GoFundMe to raise funds for a vet procedure or pet deposit?
9) Have you contacted “Dogs on Deployment” regarding the safe keeping of your pet while you’re on active duty?
10)Have you attended one of our monthly low-cost vaccination/microchip clinics to make your pet more adoptable?
If you have explored all other options and you have no other choice but to surrender your pet, the best time to bring your pet to the shelter is between M-W 9:00am – 12pm. Please do not arrive outside these times.
If you would like to complete forms ahead of time, click here to download and print the dog surrender form or click here to download and print the cat surrender form.