AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM CCAS DIRECTOR BETH WARD
We come to you with a heavy heart and a plea for help that we believe only a caring community like ours can answer. Our shelter is facing a critical situation – we are at full capacity, with more animals coming in each day, and space is running out faster than we can create it.
Today, our animal care and medical staff have advised me that due to the high volume of dogs currently in our care and the number of new animals coming in each day outpacing those being adopted, rescued and returned to their families, we’re now faced with the impossible dilemma of having to make euthanasia decisions based on time and space. Sadly, this means that there is a potential that healthy/treatable animals may be euthanized to help make space for the other animals in our community needing help.
We have been messaging over the last year that our shelter is experiencing overcrowding due to our adoption rate not being able to keep up with the incredible flow of animals needing help coming into our shelter. We also know that the animal rescues in our region are experiencing similar challenges – they’re filled to the brim and their resources are being stretched. For months, we've navigated through the challenges of overcrowding, strained resources, and tirelessly dedicated staff who have given their all to care for these innocent lives. But today, we stand at a crossroads, faced with an unimaginable decision: unless we act quickly, we might have to make the heartbreaking choice to euthanize some of the dogs and cats in our care.
Our hearts ache at the mere thought of having to make such decisions. We firmly believe that each of these pets deserves the chance to find a loving home, to experience warmth, comfort, and the joy of companionship. We know you believe that too.
To that end, we need your help to get 50 large breed dogs out of the shelter through adoption, foster, and transfer immediately.
This is our heartfelt call to action. We're urging our community to step up and make a difference. We're asking you to open your hearts and your homes to the pets in our shelter. Adoption, fostering, volunteering – every gesture counts. If you've been thinking about adopting, or possibly fostering - permanently or temporarily - now is the time.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
You can access all of these services at www.ccasd.org
• Adopt – pets available for adoption can be viewed on our website. Our Martinez shelter is open Tuesday-Saturday 10AM-5PM (10AM-7PM on Wednesday). All pets are currently free to adopt.
• Foster – sign up to become a foster home for one of our shelter pets.
• Volunteer – sign up to volunteer and help socialize and care for the pets in our shelter.
• Help Reunite Lost Dogs – If you find a healthy friendly dog, try to hold onto that dog and help to search for their family. If you’re able to hold onto a lost dog while you look for the owner, you increase the possibility of that dog being reunited with their family. File a FOUND REPORT on our website and notify the lost animal social media sites, like Fido Alert, and post a notice on your NextDoor page. You can also place flyers in your neighborhood. By helping the dog find their family you will also help CCAS provide support for the sick, injured, or in danger dogs that are coming to us every day.
• Spread the Word - Share this message far and wide. You never know who might be looking for a new furry family member or thinking about fostering.
Contra Costa Animal Services must be able to help the animals in our county that are sick, injured or in danger, and to help care for lost pets while we work to reunite them with their families. The team at CCAS is focused on life saving and supporting our community needs. The needs in our community right now are overwhelming and the resources for families to spay/neuter their pets and obtain basic veterinary care are becoming less accessible and financially out of reach for many, which is contributing to more pets coming into the shelter.
We acknowledge that our shelter, like many across California, has been facing a relentless challenge. But we believe in the power of community, in the kindness and empathy that can turn the tides. We're all in this together, and together, we can make sure that no animal is left behind.
Just A Friend - Biz Markie
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The way that I met her was on tour at a concert
She had long hair and a short miniskirt
I just got onstage drippin', pourin' with sweat
I was walkin' through the crowd and gues who I met
I whispered in her ear, "Come to the picture booth
So I can ask you some questions to see if you are a hundred proof"
I asked her her name, she said blah-blah-blah
I took a couple of flicks and she was enthused
I said, "How do you like the show?"
She said, "I was very amused"
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