Santa Barbara County Animal Services highlights ‘challenges and triumphs’ in 2023 annual report
SANTA MARIA, Calif. - Santa Barbara County Animal Services released its 2023 annual report Wednesday, highlighting a year the department said included a number of "challenges and triumphs."
Included in the report was a number of important statistics compiled by the department from 2023.
Most significantly, Animal Services had an intake of nearly 6,000 animals into its three shelters, representing an increase of more than 1,300 animals from the previous year.
The large rise in animals was attributed mostly to a large increase in the number of cats brought to the shelter in 2023.
Over 2,600 cats were brought to county shelters during the past year, an increase of more than 1,000 from the year 2022.
The increase in animals coming into the shelters continues to strain Animal Services resources, as well push capacities to their limits at its three shelter locations.
However, Santa Barbara County Animal Services Director Sarah Aguilar pointed out the department is receiving a big boost from many in the community.
"The shelter doesn't just get bigger when we have more animals, we don't just get more staff," said Aguilar. "Through community members who are stepping up and volunteering, coming in and helping provide care and cleaning for the animals in the shelter, and volunteers that are stepping up to foster and bring animals into their home, it's enabled us to house more animals in homes across the community than we have in our three shelter locations."
Another positive note, while more animals needed sheltering, Animal Services also saw a large rise in the number of adoptions and fosters.
Over 2,700 animals were adopted out of county shelters, more 800 from 2022, while 2,157 animals found foster homes, more than 900 from the previous year.
In addition, nearly 1,300 animals were reunited with their families, an increase of more than 300 from 2022.
Volunteer hours provided by community members also rose, climbing from about 14,000 hours in 2022 to 18,000 hours in 2023.
A key highlight to the year according to Animals Services came through collaborative initiatives, such as Project PetSafe, Pet Resources Centers and Beat the Heat, which resulted in the distribution of more than 20,000 pounds of food, thousands of free microchips, and hundreds of low-cost spay and neuter surgeries.
To mark its accomplishments in 2023, Animal Services is holding a fee-waived adoption event this weekend, Friday through Sunday, Jan. 26-28, at all three of its shelters in Santa Maria, Lompoc and Santa Barbara.
For more information about Santa Barbara County Animal Services, click here.
