San Luis Obispo County Animal Services is taking in animals that had to evacuate due to the Gifford Fire.
So far, they have offered shelter to 133 animals. This includes 16 cats, 14 dogs, 14 horses, 2 donkeys, 19 goats, 12 pigs, 26 chickens, 25 ducks, and 5 geese.
Not all of them are being held at the San Luis Obispo location, though.
"All the small animals, the domestic companion animals we have are generally coming into the San Luis Obispo shelter, and that includes some of our small stock, like goats and sheep, ducks and chickens as well. And then our livestock and larger animals, most of those are going to either the fairgrounds in Paso Robles or the Elks Rodeo grounds in Santa Maria," explained Eric Anderson, San Luis Obispo County Animal Services Director.
In order to make room for these evacuated animals, Animal Services is offering discounted adoption rates.
"We also started what we're calling a fire sale," Anderson said. "Basically, all of our adoptions on our dogs and cats are $25, so we're trying to encourage and hope that people will come in, adopt some of those animals to help us clear out a little bit more space through the shelter."
It's important to note that the evacuated animals are not up for adoption. If you are in need of help evacuating animals, Anderson says you can call (805) 781-4800 for assistance.
"I don't know that we've got a real hard date on this, when we're going to have them all out of here," Anderson said. "What we're hoping to see is that the fire, as the fire turns the corner and we get more of a handle on it and they start to lift the evacuation warnings and orders and people are able to return home, that those people will then be taking their animals back home with them. So [the] sooner people can return home, the sooner the animals can go home."
He adds that one of the most important things you can do when preparing for an emergency is to also make sure you have a plan for your animals.
Click here to learn more about creating a go-bag for your pets!
