Pet Adoption Center Of Orange County   

The Pet Adoption Center of Orange County (PAC-OC) was created to increase the adoption rate for Orange County shelter animals, and provide long-needed access to local pet adoptions for South Orange County residents. The pandemic shift led us to address the most pressing community needs by expanding our community assistance services to include relinquishment, pet food pantry assistance and other prevention services to keep pets in their homes so that they do not become a shelter statistic. While pets are awaiting their forever homes at the PAC-OC, they are in a home-like environment with an abundance of human interaction at our Lake Forest adoption center. The PAC-OC is designed to be a model for the future of community-based pet adoptions and education. It provides a setting where the community can donate, volunteer, learn, interact with, and adopt pets. The center includes dog bedrooms with windows where our pups roam freely as they would do at home—with their owners, with additional playroom and sofa spaces. This is less stressful on the animals, which makes them happier—as well as making it more likely that the animals will be adopted. PAC-OC dogs receive a minimum of five walks and socialization/play time a day. Potential owners interact with the pets in a setting that makes everyone feel comfortable, and simulates their home environment. The facility is designed to be a welcoming, community-focused gathering place. The Lake Forest adoption center is primarily operated by volunteers. Those managing the center are highly-qualified, well-educated, successful business people who are also animal welfare advocates, with extensive nonprofit experience. As long-time residents, they are embedded in the local community. The PAC-OC receives $19,000 in support annually from the City of Lake Forest to prioritize assisting Lake Forest residents and their pets. The PAC-OC has become an integral part of the local business community as a member of the Lake Forest and Rancho Santa Margarita Chambers of Commerce. We are the nonprofit sponsor of the South County Pet Expo in conjunction with Orange County Supervisor Donald Wagner and the City of Lake Forest. Until COVID-19, the center operated during hours that provided the highest level of access to the general public, allowing for after-work and weekend adoptions. Since the pandemic, access is by appointment only, with flexible hours to meet the needs of our limited staffing and potential adopters. The center is staffed with volunteers on shifts from morning until night. They manage and maintain all aspects of the facility and the animals. The PAC-OC is the culmination of years of work by the local animal welfare community, looking for a facilities-based way to assist owner-surrendered dogs and shelter pets in finding loving homes in South Orange County. Operations were primarily funded by the Stanley W. Ekstrom Foundation until our agreement with the foundation expired on June 30, 2022. The foundation opted not to continue with support, citing the increasing cost of dog rescue. This has left us without a principal funder to pay the rent, at a time when our services are needed more than ever. While it has opened the PAC-OC up to providing a broader variety of services—as we address the expanding community needs, we desperately need donations to keep our facility open.