California Animal Welfare Association

04/13/2026

Animal control officers are heroes, and we are thrilled to see so many agencies acknowledging their important work as we celebrate Animal Control Officer Appreciation Week!

03/31/2026

Expanding access to affordable spay/neuter is critical to addressing our challenges. We have a very real shortage of this in our state and some pending legislation and additional funding could make a meaningful difference.

California is facing a well-documented shortage of veterinarians, particularly those trained and willing to perform high-quality, high-volume spay/neuter (HQHVSN) surgery. At the same time, demand for services has surged. The result is a bottleneck that no amount of dedication can overcome without s...

02/03/2026

Did you know that the #1 reason people hesitate to visit our animal shelters is because they are afraid they will feel sad? Let's change that and get more pets adopted! We have an ad campaign all ready to go to increase pet adoptions at our California shelters. With full funding it will run statewide for 9 months in English and Spanish. We know advertising works and we are eager to welcome more families into our shelters to find their new best friend. You can find details including the campaign landing page, video ad, and some images here. Most importantly, you can donate! https://www.calanimals.org/adcampaigndonate

01/29/2026

This is a great opportunity to recognize people doing amazing work!

🏆 Award Season Is Almost Here! 🏆

In just one week, nominations open for the National Animal Care & Control Association Awards. This is your chance to recognize the people who show up, step up, and make a difference every single day in animal care and control.

✨ New this year: Rookie of the Year
Because excellence deserves recognition at every stage.

📅 Nominations open February 1–28
🔗 Learn more and get ready to nominate: https://www.nacanet.org/awards/

A big thank you to Animal Care Equipment & Services for sponsoring this year’s awards! 🎉https://animal-care.com/

01/23/2026

This is a great opportunity for in-person training!

▶ Last call for the California Animal Law Enforcement Academy! ◀

We're honored to be hosting the California Animal Law Enforcement Academy on our Novato campus, alongside San Diego Humane Society and the California Animal Welfare Association!

The Academy is an 80-hour program that runs January 26 - February 6, 2026 on our shelter campus in Novato, CA. It's open to the public and provides training in California animal laws AND animal care.

This course satisfies the requirements mandated by section 14502 of the California Corporations Code for appointment and reappointment as a Humane Officer, or Health and Safety Code 26222 for requirements to become a Certified Animal Control Officer (CACO).

We’re also pleased to offer Humane Handling and Capture for Domestic Animals, taught by the ASPCA, on January 27, 2026, from 8:30–12:30. This session is a free, stand-alone training that is open to the public. (While it's included as part of the Animal Law Academy curriculum, attending this session on its own does not count toward the 80-hour certificate.)

Get details and register here:
https://marinhumane.org/event/california-animal-law-enforcement-academy/

01/21/2026

To All Veterinarians: Why working with animal shelters matters. Thank you, Julie Bank!

Dear Veterinarians,

12/16/2025

There has never been a better time to find your new best friend at a California shelter.

Adopting a pet from the San Diego Humane Society means getting a spayed/neutered, microchipped and vaccinated pet.

11/07/2025

This is a good read. We appreciate our compassionate, hard-working shelter teams that show up each and every day to do this incredibly difficult work.

It’s your sixth shift in a row this week at the shelter, and you’re glad to finally be home after another exhausting 10-hour day trying to juggle all the incoming animals and calls for help. Then it happens: You see a voice message, or notice an email, or check your Facebook comments, and your s...

10/31/2025

Great idea, Kern County Animal Services!

🚨 HUGE NEWS! 🚨

If you’ve found a lost pet, you can now scan it for a microchip — 24 hours a day, 365 days a year — at Kern County Animal Services, 3951 Fruitvale Avenue!

Instructions on how to use the scanner and what steps to take after scanning the pet are posted right at the station.

If you’ve found a lost or stray pet, here’s what to do:

1️⃣ Scan for a microchip — Use our new 24-hour Microchip Scan Station at 3951 Fruitvale Avenue.
2️⃣ Post the pet online — Share the animal’s photo, along with where and when it was found, on platforms like Facebook, Nextdoor, Neighbors, Petco Love Lost, PawBoost, and 24PetConnect.
3️⃣ Put up flyers — Post flyers in the area where the pet was found. (Most lost pets are found within 1,000 feet of their home!)
4️⃣ Contact local rescues — Reach out to nearby rescue groups for more help and resources.
5️⃣ Bring the pet to the shelter — If you’re a resident of unincorporated Kern County, you can bring the animal to our shelter.

⚠️ Please note: Kern County Animal Services does not accept stray, lost, or feral cats.

For more tips on reuniting lost pets with their families, visit 👉 www.KernCountyAnimalServices.org → Lost & Found Pets

10/10/2025

This is great news for cats!

California has officially outlawed the practice of declawing cats after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 867 into law, a measure animal welfare advocates are calling a historic win for animal…

09/23/2025

Just in case you need another reason to adopt a kitten from your local shelter!

08/12/2025

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/la-shelters-see-increase-in-pets-surrendered-due-to-immigration-raids/vi-AA1Kku9d?ocid=socialshare

After an increase in deportations and self-deportations, dozens of pets have been surrendered to the Lancaster Animal Care Center and other LA County facilities. CNN’s Veronica Miracle finds out how the shelters are prepared to cope if more abandoned animals show up at their doorstep.