Sacramento animal shelter helps pets displaced by Los Angeles wildfires. How to adopt them

A Sacramento animal shelter is lending a hand to help pets affected by wildfires that have killed at least 27 people and destroyed more than 12,000 structures in Los Angeles County.

Sacramento SPCA sent caretakers to Southern California to pick up pets from Pasadena Humane.

The animals needed to be transferred so the Southern California shelter can make room for lost pets who lost their homes as a result of the Palisades Fire, Eaton Fire and other blazes, according to Dawn Foster, Sacramento SPCA director of marketing and communications.

“The best way those shelters can help other partners is by pulling their existing population out of their shelter, so then they can create space for emergency boarding for those impacted by the local disaster,” Foster said. “So that’s what we did.”

So far, Sacramento SPCA has picked up a total of 17 animals, including nine dogs, three hamsters and three guinea pigs, Brent said.

The teams also transferred a cat and a rabbit, she said.

“We realized that shelters were going to be in peril,” Sacramento SPCA CEO Jennifer Brent told The Sacramento Bee. “We feel it’s really important to support other animal shelters.”

Since the Palisades and Eaton and fires broke out during the middle of a work day, Brent said, many pet owners who were at work could not make it home in time to save their pets.

“Some of those animals were rendered homeless,” Brent said. “At that point, they needed a place to go because they’re wandering the street.”

Transferring pets from Pasadena Humane to Sacramento allows animals still wandering the streets to find spots at a safe shelter.

Sacramento animal shelter takes in dogs, cats

In addition to helping animals affected by the Los Angeles-area wildfires, Sacramento SPCA regularly takes in animals from local shelters, Brent said.

Sacramento SPCA communications manager Sarah Varanini said the shelter welcomes animals from other shelters primarily due to “overcrowding issues” but there are many factors that could lead to tranfers or relocation.

Varanini said those factors could include “not having foster homes available for animals in need of foster, typically a nursing mother or underage puppies or kittens, or if the shelter is unable to provide extensive medical care that the Sacramento SPCA has more resources to provide.”

The Sacramento animal shelter accepted more than 3,000 animals — such as cats, dogs, rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters and reptiles — over the past five years.

That includes more than 500 animals in 2024, Brent said.

Sacramento SPCA completes thorough medical checks to ensure the animals have everything they need to thrive and survive.

It’s a courtesy so that a new adopter doesn’t incur extraordinary veterinary care expenses, Brent said.

How to adopt pets impacted by Los Angeles-area wildfires

If you’re looking for a furry new friend, Sacramento SPCA has several animals looking for a new place that they can call home.

Sacramento SPCA’s website is the best place to see animals available for adoption, Varanini said.

“It is updated in real time, so as animals become available or are adopted, they will come on and off the site automatically,” she said.

As of Friday, Sacramento SPCA had seven dogs available for adoption who were transferred from Pasadena: Hunter, Ms. Jackson, Voltaire, Sterling, Aurora, Lightning McQueen and Blue, Varanini confirmed.

Also listed on the website as available for adoption are two rabbits, six guinea pigs and eight cats.

You can find their photos and bios online by clicking the “Adoptable Dogs,” “Adoptable Cats” and “Adoptable Smalls” buttons.

The price to adopt a pet from Sacramento SPCA differs by animal and age, Varanini said.

Here’s how much adoption fees cost, according to the Sacramento SPCA website.

• Adult Dogs (7 months and older): $110
• Puppies (under 7 months): $200
  
  
• Kittens: $100
• Adult Cats (7 months and older): $60, $5 on Fridays
  
  
• Rabbits: $45

Adoption fees for other small animals vary by species

Varanini said the fees include spaying or neutering and vaccinations for rabies and other diseases as well as “microchips, flea treatment and any additional medical care the animal needed prior to adoption such as dental or mass removal.”

Sacramento SPCA plans more Southern California trips

Brent hopes that people will come to Sacramento SPCA to adopt incoming pets.

“We’d love to invite people to come down and adopt these animals,” Brent said. “It makes more space for more animals. …

“The more animals that are adopted throughout California, the more space that we’re able to free up for the animals of Los Angeles.”

Brent said Sacramento SPCA plans to make a couple of more trips to provide support in southern California.

She emphasized the need for other organizations to step in and provide support to “alleviate some of the stress” that weighs on those in Los Angeles.

“It’s been a little chaotic, as you can understand, in the Los Angeles area, trying to figure out where the greatest need is,” Brent said. “There’s so many groups that are willing to help out. We want to do it in the most orderly and helpful way that we can.”

How to visit Sacramento SPCA

Sacramento SPCA is at 6201 Florin Perkins Road in Sacramento. The adoption center’s open hours are 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

Call 916-383-7387 for more information.

This story was originally published January 17, 2025 at 1:10 PM.