2016 a Record Year for Animal Care Services

The Department of Parks, Recreation and Marine Animal Care Services Bureau (ACS) achieved another record year in 2016 with saving animals. The following year-end statistics show increasing progress being made at the animal shelter and are the best numbers ever reported:

• Over 1100 fewer cats and dogs were impounded at the shelter in 2016, a 15 percent reduction compared to 2015. Additionally, impounds of cats and dogs has been reduced by nearly 38 percent since 2011, just five years ago.
• Euthanasia saw another steep decline with 717 fewer dogs and cats euthanized in 2016 compared to 2015. This represents a reduction of 27 percent for dogs and 31 percent for cats. 
• Compared to five years ago in 2011, euthanasia for dogs and cats is down 70 percent, representing over 3850 fewer dogs and cats euthanized.
• 2016 live release rates of over 85 percent for dogs and 54 percent for cats compared to only 83 precent for dogs and 54 percent for cats in 2015. The live release rate in 2011 was only 72 percent for dogs and 20 percent for cats.

The Live Release Rate is the percentage of animals that come to the shelter and leave with a positive outcome such as return to owner, adoption or transfer to a rescue organization.

ACS achieved its best year thanks to all the hard work of staff, volunteers, partner groups, local rescues and the entire Long Beach community.

Some of the most notable improvements in 2016 include:

• The construction of a new outdoor “Catio” play area for adoptable cats, made possible thanks to a generous donation by the Florence Jones Trust.
• A new mobile adoption vehicle was also made possible thanks to a very generous anonymous donation.
• A new medical suite was installed and constructed, thanks to the Friends of Long Beach Animals (FOLBA).
• Continued with the third year of our community cat program with the Stray Cat Alliance, saving the lives of hundreds of community cats.
• Offered bottle feeding kits for residents wanting to assist with kittens found in their community, thanks to donations from Helen Sanders Cat Paws.

“We continue to look for new partnerships, programs and innovative ways to help save lives, such as the mobile adoption vehicle to help increase adoptions, and the recently launched Twitter feed #LBLostFoundPets to help reunite lost pets with their owners,” noted Ted Stevens, Manager of Animal Care Services.

"With the help of our entire community we look forward to reaching more milestones in the future and continue to reduce pet overpopulation and find new forever homes for animals at the shelter," Stevens said.. 

To help, or for more information visit: http://longbeach.gov/acs/, “Follow” us on Twitter @lbanimalcare and “Like” us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/LongBeachAnimalCare.