SACRAMENTO, CA – Today, California Animal Welfare Society (CalAnimals), San Francisco Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SF SPCA) and the ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) announced the results of the first-ever California Pet Adoption Day, with 3,609 pets being adopted into loving homes on June 1st.
The day-long event brought together more than 170 animal welfare organizations from across the state, working together to nearly double the original goal of finding homes for 2,024 pets. The ASPCA provided funding to cover adoption costs at participating shelters and made the adoptions free to the public.
A total of 3,609 pets were adopted at California Pet Adoption Day, including 1,977 cats, 1,541 dogs, and 91 other small animals such as rabbits and guinea pigs. One of the pets that was matched with a loving family was a 3.5-year-old mastiff mix named Nelly, who had been rescued by Friends of the Alameda Animal Shelter (FAAS) for a year and a half after arriving at the shelter as a stray. Nelly, who shelter staff described as sweet and shy, was finally matched with her foster parents at California Pet Adoption Day. Sahiba Singh of San Ramon drove 40 minutes to meet Nelly after seeing her on the shelter’s social media. Nelly, who is usually slow to warm up to strangers, was sitting at Sahiba’s feet within minutes of meeting her. Nellie, now nicknamed Nellie Bean, was quickly adopted by Sahiba and is living happily in her new home.
“Her slightly crooked face is perfect. She immediately caught my eye. I read that she was shy and needed a quiet home, which we have, so I had to meet her,” said Singh. “She’s very happy here and we love her very much. We’re going to give her a reason to wag her tail for the rest of her life.”
“We’re so grateful to the number of Californians who visited their local shelters on June 1st and are thrilled to know that for many, this was their first time adopting a shelter pet,” said Jill Tucker, CEO of CalAnimals. “Our shelters are filled with a variety of amazing animals waiting for people to come and meet them, and we sincerely hope that when you’re ready for a new pet, you’ll visit our shelters first. We’re grateful to all the shelters who participated in this amazing event to facilitate adoption and we’re so grateful to the ASPCA and San Francisco SPCA for making this event possible. We’ve demonstrated that working together can truly make a difference.”
“On Juneteenth, we learned just how important our animal shelters are to Californians,” said Dr. Jennifer Scarlett, CEO of the San Francisco Humane Society. “They heard our call and responded in kind. As a result of this event, thousands of families had their lives enriched by having a special pet, and our shelter received the support and attention it deserves.”
“The success of California Pet Day highlights the huge appeal of shelter animals and the unique power of the human-animal bond. It also sends an inspiring message to shelters, pet owners and the animal welfare community that when we come together, we can make a difference for animals in need,” said ASPCA President and CEO Matt Bershadker. “The collaboration between national and local animal welfare organizations to find new homes for 3,609 shelter animals in one day proves that collaboration is key to saving more lives in California and beyond.”
In recent years, California shelters have seen a large influx of animals as a result of ongoing challenges facing pet owners, including financial hardship, difficulty accessing suitable housing for pets, and lack of affordable veterinary care due to a veterinarian shortage. These challenges often force families to make the difficult decision to part with their pets, preventing many families from getting a new pet. California has one of the highest percentages of rental housing in the nation, and housing is one of the biggest barriers to families owning or adopting a pet.
California Pet Adoption Day is organized by CalAnimals, a California animal welfare and rescue organization dedicated to meeting the needs of animals and people in our community. The initiative is made possible with the generous support of the SF SPCA, a nonprofit organization serving San Francisco, the Central Valley and throughout California to ensure that all pets have access to quality medical care, compassionate shelters and loving homes, and the ASPCA, the longest-standing animal welfare organization in North America and on the front lines fighting animal cruelty and homelessness nationwide, saving, improving and protecting the lives of millions of dogs, cats, horses and farm animals.
The next California Pet Adoption Day will be held in June 2025. People interested in adopting or fostering an animal can visit ASPCA.org/TheRescueEffect for more information.
