Holiday Rush Is On for Animal Adoptions at Camarillo Shelter

Four kittens were available for adoption at the Ventura County animal shelter earlier this week, but at least eight families wanted them. So a shelter worker placed eight names in a hat, then drew the four lucky winners.

Kristi Schatt’s name was the first called. The 7-year-old Thousand Oaks girl squealed. She wanted the small gray kitten, Kristi told a shelter worker. And she would name him Machine Gun.

“When he meowed, he sounded like a machine gun,” she explained.

As the busiest week for adoptions at the county-run animal shelter unfolds, prospective cat and dog owners are finding that it takes persistence--and a little luck--to land the perfect pet.

At least 50 people lined up outside the Camarillo shelter moments before it opened at 10 a.m. Monday. It soon became clear that even the early birds would have to wait several hours--there was government paperwork to be filled out--before they could exit with a pet in tow.

Adoptions are always brisk the week after Christmas because they are banned for the week leading up the holiday, said Kathy Jenks, director of the county’s Department of Animal Regulation. Electrical cords from Christmas trees, tinsel and holiday chocolate can be deadly for animals, so parents are asked to leave a card or gift certificate under the tree promising their child a pet after Christmas, Jenks said.

“Our Christmases are ruined every year by getting calls to come pick up cats that have bitten through an electrical wire, or to scrape up a dog that got squished on the street in all the excitement of the holidays,” Jenks said.

People turn to animal shelters for many reasons when looking for a pet, Jenks said. But the motivation usually comes down to two factors.

“It’s cheaper than the pet stores,” Jenks said. “And you’re saving a life.”

Each year, about 20,000 animals at the county’s two shelters (the other is in Simi Valley) and at the privately run Humane Society shelter in Ojai are put to sleep because they don’t have a home or are too ill to treat, Jenks said.

Following an initial observation period, most dogs and cats are euthanized after three days at the shelter if they have not been adopted.

The cost of adoption is often far cheaper than shelling out top dollar for puppies and kittens from a pet shop. A purebred dog can fetch up to $500 in some mall shops, Jenks said. But the department charges a $15 adoption fee for a cat or dog. Owners must also pay a deposit toward spaying or neutering the animal and applicable license fees, Jenks said.

Nanci Braunschweiger was first in line when the Camarillo shelter opened for business Monday. Standing with her were her husband, John; mother-in-law, Dottie, and three daughters, Erin and Michelle, 10-year-old twins, and Alyse, 4.

The Camarillo family had arrived an hour early to wait and were hopeful about their prospects of picking up two kittens. The family’s 14-year-old cat had disappeared over the summer, Nanci Braunschweiger said.

So, she and her husband left cards under the Christmas tree for their twins explaining that each could pick out a new cat when the shelter opened Monday.

“We thought this would be a good way to brighten our life,” Nanci Braunschweiger said.

The Braunschweigers were also lucky: They nabbed one of the four available kittens. But they had to settle for an older long-haired white cat with bright blue eyes for their second pet because the other kittens were snatched up by others.

“The twins wanted their own cats,” John Braunschweiger said. “By hook or crook, we’ll leave with two cats.”

Oxnard resident Elaine Siebers said she came to the shelter to pick out a Christmas present for herself.

“You are a lucky cat,” Siebers said to the brown tabby she chose. “You’re going to be so loved.”

A cat she owned for more than a decade died a couple of weeks ago, Siebers said, wiping tears from her eyes. “She was a queen.”

About 100 dogs and cats found homes this week.

The only time that the shelter is busier is after the Fourth of July holiday.

“The fireworks go off and dogs just bolt,” Jenks said. “We advise people to tie their pets up or to bring them indoors until the fireworks are over, but they forget. It happens every year.”