June is 'No Kill' Effort Awareness Month in Kern County

At the May 23 Board of Supervisors meeting, my colleagues and I proclaimed the month of June as “No Kill” Effort Awareness Month in Kern County. This awareness month will be the first of an annual awareness drive throughout the county. Back in December of 2015, Kern County Animal Services made a goal and commitment to the citizens and animals of Kern County to be a “no kill” animal shelter by 2020. Since 2015, the euthanasia rate has gone down from high of 6,600 animals to a projected 4,000 dogs and cats euthanized in 2017. This is excellent progress, but it is obvious that there is still more work to do.

In order to attain the no-kill goal, it is important for everyone in Kern to focus on basic programs such as spay/neuter clinics, pet foster programs, rescue programs, and increasing adoptions in order to increase live outcomes. The county is also partnering with animal rescue organizations to educate the public on the importance of spaying and neutering your pet, as well as options for those owners who realize they no longer want to keep their pet.

On June 10, all county animal shelters will provide spay/neuter vouchers for the discounted price of $10. On June 11, the county will hold a “Just One Day” event where there will be no euthanasia performed in the shelter, and the pet adoption center will be open for 11 hours, and all pet adoptions will be $11. And finally, on June 20, the “Tales for Tails” event will be held at county shelters to bring the community’s children in for a reading program, and giving them a positive shelter experience to increase future adoptions and responsible pet ownership. The county is partnering with Marley’s Mutts of Tehachapi as a community partner to hold spay/neuter clinics, and teach folks about responsible pet ownership. “I am very excited to launch this no-kill effort with the county so that all animals here may live and find forever homes,” said Zach Skow, founder of Marley’s Mutts.

Additionally, there will be spay/neuter clinics held in Eastern Kern on the following dates at these locations:

June 14 and June 28: Big Desert Dogs, 2592 Pegasus Street, Tehachapi – Please call (661) 556-7177.