FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT
Kiska Icard, Division Manager, San José Animal Care Center
408-784-9167;
kiska.icard@sanjoseca.gov
Start 2025 Off on the Right ‘PAW’ - the San José Animal Care Downtown PAWp-Up Location is Extended Until February 15
The Holiday Campaign Also Wraps with Over $65,000 in Donations
SAN JOSE, Calif. (January 16, 2025) – This past holiday season, the San José Animal Care Center (ACS) showcased a unique pilot PAWp-Up in downtown San José allowing potential adopters access to dogs, cats, and rabbits outside the shelter. Since opening on Dec. 4, 2024, the PAWp-Up helped 39 animals find their forever homes - nine dogs and 30 cats were adopted.
The PAWp-Ups popularity means that it has been extended to Feb. 15. The hours of operation are
Thursday to Saturday from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. This will further help the ACS address finding #1 of the recent audit
Addressing Capacity Constraints and Updating Shelter Protocols Will Help Improve Animal Outcomes, by easing the demand for shelter space through increased adoptions and rescues.
“The PAWp-Up has successfully brought our community together to provide loving homes for pets in need,” said City Manager Jennifer Maguire. “This effort moves us closer to our goal of improving shelter conditions, reducing overcrowding, and helping adoptable pets find their forever homes.”
Additionally, ACS received approximately $65,000 in monetary donations over the course of its Hope for the Holidays campaign. The multi-part campaign launched on Nov. 21, 2024 with a community ask to adopt, foster, volunteer, and donate.
The monetary donations support the
ACS Guardian Angel Program which provides essential medical care and services to the approximate 13,000 animals who are cared for at ACS annually. Along with medical support, these donations will provide comfort and enrichment for the animals. A total of 24 Kuranda orthopedic dog beds were donated, along with many toys, treats, and other essential items.
“Shelter staff continue to work hard to meet our mission of being an ally to animals in need,” said Matt Loesch, Public Works Director. “Although the holiday season ended, our work has not. We continue to implement the recommendations in the audit.”
“We’ve seen nearly 40 adoptions through the PAWp-Up pilot, which is a testament to the hard work of our Animal Care Center staff and their dedication to improving the lives of animals in our care,” said San José Mayor Matt Mahan. “I look forward to even more pets finding their forever homes as the team implements further audit recommendations over the coming months.”
In addition to the monetary and in-kind donations, there was tremendous support for getting animals out of the shelter. Approximately, 450 animals were adopted, 161 were fostered, and 120 were transferred to rescue partners. The San José Animal Care Center is a bridge to a forever home, the end goal is to have every animal placed with a loving family.
Residents can continue to help by providing a loving home to a shelter pet. If you are unable to adopt, consider fostering for as few as three weeks or as long as three months. For more information on available pets, adopting, fostering, and other ways to support, visit
bit.ly/AdoptAPetACS. To learn more about the pets available at the PAWp-Up, visit
bit.ly/SJPAWPUP.
About the City of San José
With almost 1 million residents, San José is one of the most diverse large cities in the United States and is Northern California’s largest city and the 13th largest city in the nation. San José’s transformation into a global innovation center has resulted in one of the largest concentrations of technology companies and expertise in the world.
About City of San José Animal Care & Services
San José Animal Care and Services serves the 1.5 million residents and pets of San José, Cupertino, Los Gatos, Milpitas, and Saratoga. The Care Center is an open-admission shelter welcoming over 15,000 pets each year in need of care until they are reunited with their family or find a family to call their own. Animal Care and Services provides for the physical and medical needs of the pets in their care, rescues animals in distress, investigates animal abuse, enforces animal control laws, license pets, and supports community cats with no-cost Trap, Neuter, Return services. Learn more at www.AdoptAPetSJ.org.
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