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Best Pet Rescue Shelters In Orange County

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You have several options if you are looking to add a pet to your family. However, most people that adopt pets from shelters agree that the most rewarding experience comes from adopting a pet who really needs a good home. Here are some of the best places in the county to look for that new member of your family.

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Irvine Animal Care Center
6443 Oak Canyon Road
Irvine, CA 92618
(949) 724-7740
www.cityofirvine.org/cityhall/cs/animalcare

The thing that is instantly noticeable about this facility is the amount of space available for the animals. This center is on almost four acres of land, which gives the animals plenty of space to exercise while they wait to be adopted. The staff here is very thorough and wants to make sure that the animals end up with good, responsible people. Be warned: if you do visit the Irvine shelter, there is a pretty good chance that you'll fall in love with one of the animals.

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Orange County Humane Society
21632 Newland St.
Huntington Beach, CA 92646
(714) 536-8480
www.ochumanesociety.com

Animals can end up in shelters for a variety of reasons. No matter the reason, the Humane Society is a good place for the animal to wait until it can find a new home. The Humane Society works with animal control to bring in pets that have strayed or been abandoned for whatever reason. No limit is placed on the amount of time an animal can spend here until it finds a new home. Since so many animals end up here, OCHS also works with other shelters in the area to find pets a new home.

Chihuahuas Overwhelm California Animal Shelters
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San Clemente-Dana Point Animal Shelter
221 Avenida Fabricante
San Clemente, CA 92672
(949) 492-1617
www.petprojectfoundation.org

The San Clemente-Dana Point Shelter has been helping abandoned animals in the area for almost 30 years. This is definitely not a shelter where the animals are kept in a pen until someone claims them or their time expires. Animals here are given everything they need (including socialization) until they can find the perfect home. You can also rest assured that the animal you want to adopt is current on vaccines and as healthy as possible when you take it home.

Related: Best Spots To Find Winter Gear For Pets In OC

OC Animal Care
(credit: OC Animal Care)

Seal Beach Animal Care Center
1700 Adolfo Lopez Drive
Seal Beach, CA 90740
(562) 430-4993
www.sbacc.org

One way to find the best home for a pet is through screening. Before you can be considered to adopt a pet from SBACC, you need to fill out an adoption application with questions about how (and low long) you are willing to take care of the pet. It may seem like a hassle, but the reason so many pets end up in shelters is because they're abandoned. The staff at the shelter just wants to ensure that the animal won't end up abandoned again. SBACC partners with other shelters in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Diego Counties to try to find the best home available for each of its pets.

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Laguna Beach Animal Shelter
20612 Laguna Canyon Road
Laguna Beach, CA 92651
(949) 497-3552
www.puplagunabeach.org

Like other shelters, the Laguna Beach Animal Shelter works with animal control to bring in pets that have been lost or abandoned. To give pet owners the opportunity to reunite with their pets, the animals here are held for seven days before they are made available for adoption. If you do plan to adopt a pet from this shelter, you will be going home with an animal that is vaccinated, wormed, spayed or neutered and microchipped. In other words, the staff here wants to make it as easy as possible for the adopter to go home with the perfect pet.

Related: Best Doggy Day Care In OC

Gary Schwind is a freelance writer covering all things Orange County. His work can be found on Examiner.com.

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