Burbank Animal Shelter to drop adoption fees for ‘Clear the Shelters’ event

Burbank Animal Shelter officials are looking to pair as many animals with new owners as possible and empty out their kennels next Saturday.

The Burbank facility is one of 55 shelters in Southern California participating in “Clear the Shelters,” NBC4’s annual pet-adoption drive to “give thousands of homeless animals the chance of a new life,” said Celia Chavez, president and general manager of Telemundo 52 Los Angeles, in a statement.

Adoption fees for dogs are normally $104, but next Saturday the price will drop to $20. That includes spaying or neutering, vaccinations, microchip implants, deworming and flea medication, said Stacie Wood-Levin, senior animal control officer at the Burbank shelter.

Fees for cats will fall from $78 to $20, as well. There will also be special pricing for bunnies, birds and turtles, said Brenda Castaneda, superintendent at the shelter.

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It will be the third year that the Burbank Animal Shelter has participated in the event after two successful years of mass adoptions during the “Clear the Shelters” event.

Anticipating yet another big crowd, shelter officials are asking visitors to park on Lake Street underneath the Burbank Boulevard overpass, where a shuttle will pick them up and take them to the facility.

“People come from all over to adopt a pet from us,” Wood-Levin said. “We get college students to senior citizens. It’s nice because we can try and match the right animal to the right person and family.”

On a regular day, the Burbank Animal Shelter will have about five adoptions during the week and up to 10 adoptions on weekends. During this event, the facility anticipates at least 20 or more pets will find new homes, Castaneda said.

Shelter officials added that the event raises awareness about the importance of adopting a pet and spaying or neutering an animal to control the stray-animal population.

There will be dozens of dogs, cats, rabbits and turtles awaiting new owners — some have been waiting longer than others.

Ezra, a meaty 7-year-old pit bull-terrier mix has been at the Burbank Animal Shelter since July 3, 2015. Wood-Levin explained that most dogs are not kept at the facility for that long unless they believe that the dog is adoptable.

Wood-Levin said that Ezra is a loving pooch with a lot of energy, but for some, it may be too much.

“She has some toy aggression, so she does need an experienced owner,” Wood-Levin said as she held Ezra on her leash. “It’s not a huge deal, but people get scared by that, and they hear stuff about her breed. But she’s great with kids and she’s very sweet.”

For the long-term dogs at the shelter that don’t get adopted, Castaneda said that some of them, like Ezra, will be part of a new foster-care program. For a few months, a family will be able to take home a dog and care for it at their residence.

“They get to go into a home where they’re with a family, cared for and loved in a family setting instead of here at the shelter,” Castaneda said. “The goal is to place [the dog] into a home, but [to also] showcase them out in the community.”

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Anthony Clark Carpio, anthonyclark.carpio@latimes.com

Twitter: @acocarpio