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Those that know my family know that we LOVE animals. Especially dogs. We’re dog people. Our three dogs think they’re people too, and freak out when their monthly Bark Box arrives like we do when we get a package. It’s fun for all of us, really. Our dogs make our lives better. That said, they’re also a lot of work, their care can get costly at times, and the occasional death of a throw pillow or edge of a piece of furniture can get aggravating – but we have accepted that through the good times and the not-so-good, our dogs are a part of our family.
What’s tough right now though, is that unfortunately, that isn’t the case for all the dogs, cats, and other domesticated creatures out there. While adoption rates soared during the lockdown phase of the COVID-19 pandemic (so much so that numerous shelters across the country were actually left empty for the first time with NO adoptable animals!), the reverse is, unfortunately, taking place now. Calls to shelters from people who’ve adopted pets, but no longer feel they are able to keep them have more than doubled in the last two months. Many adopters are returning to regular workplaces, finding they have less time for training as their calendars begin to refill with social engagements and travel, or are needing to make significant life changes and moves due to the effects of the pandemic. Sadly, this means many pets who thought they’d seen the last of shelter walls will be returning.
Here’s where we can come together and help as a community! The Fresno area has a number of great places from which you can adopt a furry friend – and even if you can’t adopt, there are numerous simple and practical ways you can support these organization’s efforts.
Check out this great list of local adoption centers, along with key details to know about each and every way you can support them and their animals. You can click on the links to go directly to any of these organization’s websites for additional information as well.
ARF – Animal Rescue of Fresno (Dogs)
- Location: 4545 E Dakota Ave, Fresno, CA 93726 (Near Cedar & Dakota)
- Offerings: Adoption center & shelter for dogs
- Online adoptables listing: Yes
- Adoption application online: Yes
- Ways to volunteer: Socializing and caring for the dogs. With over 50 pups in the shelter as most times, ARF is always happy to have extra help.
- Ways to support: Purchasing items from their Chewy.com or Amazon wish lists, or setting ARF as your Amazon Smile charity of choice
Valley Animal Center
- Location: 3934 N Hayston Ave, Fresno, CA 93726 (Near Cedar & Dakota, behind ARF)
- Offerings: Adoption center, mobile adoptions, low-cost veterinary clinic, shelter that can house up to 500 dogs and cats, membership based dog park with water features and camps for kids
- Online adoptables listing: Yes
- Adoption application online: Yes
- Ways to volunteer: a wide range of volunteer opportunities from helping with administrative, marketing and grounds keeping tasks to socializing, cleaning and reading to the animals
- Ways to support: individual shelter pet sponsorships, monthly giving, wish list fulfillment, and more.
Animal Compassion Team
- Location: 2789 S Orange Ave, Fresno, CA 93725 (Orange Ave & Golden State)
- Offerings: Adoption & education center, shelter for many pets that would otherwise have nowhere to go based upon their rural locations and lack of shelter system access
- Online adoptables listing: Yes
- Adoption application online: Yes
- Ways to volunteer: foster a pet (provide temporary housing, care, socialization and training while they await permanent adoption), help build shy dog’s confidence on Wednesday nights with the Wallflower Group, help exercise playful pups with the Dogs Playing for Life group, take dogs on a 2-mile Boss Walk, be a cat cuddler, and adoption event helper and much more. Additional info here. (Note: some/all volunteer opportunities subject to availability during the COVID-19 pandemic)
- Ways to support: Financial support, which can be provided easily online here.
Fresno Humane Services
- Location: 760 W Nielsen Ave, Fresno, CA 93706 (Major cross streets are Whitesbridge and Marks)
- Offerings: Shelter, education and adoption center, low-cost spay and neuter, vaccinations and microchipping, holding place for found pets
- Online adoptables listing: Yes
- Adoption application online: Yes
- Ways to volunteer: Join their cleaning crew, behavior team (provide enrichment and training to animals), adoption counselor crew, assist with community outreach, administrative tasks and rescue pet transporting, foster an animal
- Ways to support: Financial support, purchase apparel and merchandise, fulfil wish list needs
Central California SPCA
- Location: 103 S Hughes Ave, Fresno, CA 93706 (Near Hughes and 180)
- Offerings: Shelter, education and adoption center, low-cost spay and neuter, vaccinations, dog licensing and microchipping, holding place for found pets, dog training, gift shop, investigations into animal cruelty reports/cases – adoptables include dogs, cats, barnyard, exotic, and small and furry animals
- Online adoptables listing: Yes
- Adoption application online: Yes
- Ways to volunteer: Wide variety of volunteer opportunities from ages 8 to 100. $15 volunteer fee provides a volunteer t-shirt and basic volunteer supplies. Volunteers must commit to 36 hours of service within a 6 month period. Those under 17 will be volunteering in ways other than handling animals. Youth volunteer programs require permission from parents, however, parents do not need to remain on the premises during volunteering.
- Ways to support: Financial support, vehicle donation, animal medical bill sponsorship, wish list fulfillment, shopping through Chewy or Amazon and choosing the Central CA SPCA as your beneficiary
Miss Winkles Pet Adoption Center (Clovis)
- Location: 85 N Temperance Ave, Clovis, CA 93611 (Near Temperance and Sierra)
- Offerings: State-of-the-art adoption center and shelter for up to 150 animals
- Online adoptables listing: Yes
- Adoption application online: Yes
- Ways to volunteer: Various ways to volunteer – volunteerism begins with an application and interview, followed by placement. Foster families also needed.
- Ways to support: Wide variety of ways to support the shelter’s work financially, as well as wish list fulfillment and gift card donation.
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