The city’s move to the new Newport Center Animal Hospital for shelter services has so far yielded favorable results and improved customer service.

As part of this new operation, the city has also partnered with Priceless Pet Rescue to handle pet adoptions because Newport Center Animal Hospital is currently not set up to do adoptions.

City staff facilitated the first pet adoption out of the shelter through the no-kill Priceless Pet Rescue. Jack the schnauzer mix was adopted by Danielle Rudd, pictured above on the right.

“Already Jack is fitting in perfectly and is loving going to the park for walks and getting tons of cuddles,” Rudd said. “Words cannot express how thankful I am to welcome Jack in my life. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for working tirelessly to ensure she was placed in an awesome home with me and my mom.”

Residents interested in adopting pets can visit this page for more information

Meet Gordy, a 2-year old Chihuahua mix who loves taking walks and exploring the world around him. He is the perfect size to be carried around and would love to relax in his new owners arms. Gordy is well-mannered, well-tempered and would make a great addition to your family, visit with him today.

Click here for more information on how to bring Gordy home today.

Sloan, a 5-year old Pit Bull mix is a big girl with an even bigger heart. This girl has lots of love to give but can be selective, so for that reason, Sloan would do best in a calm household with no other pets and minimum visitors. Click here to contact the Orange County Humane Society, and schedule your visit with Sloan today.

Members of the Costa Mesa city staff, including police and animal control officials, have stepped up efforts to improve conditions for pets in the city as well as pets who are lost and end up in the city’s animal shelter in Huntington Beach, run by the Orange County Humane Society.

Costa Mesa and Garden Grove contract with the humane society to support pets. To improve on conditions, the humane society is leasing a space on Hamilton Avenue in Huntington Beach where Costa Mesa and Garden Grove animals will be sheltered. The humane society is submitting plans to the city of Huntington Beach to make further modifications and improvements to the new leased space. In addition, Costa Mesa animal control officers under the guidance of Police Lt. Vic Bakkila are conducting daily inspections at the current facility. Also, the humane society is currently updating its website.

In addition to the shelter improvements, the city has formed a new staff Costa Mesa Pet Committee, which is focused on improving the lives of animals through the following:

• Increasing and enforcing pet licensing.
• Promoting adoption from our local shelters and rescue groups.
• Enhancing pet friendly facilities such as the Costa Mesa bark park.
• Encouraging the community to be responsible pet owners by providing them with information about the benefits of spaying, neutering and vaccinating their pets.

The pet committee is comprised of various staff from many departments. Staff includes, McKenna Ewing, Dan Baker, Kelly Shelton, Jennifer Christ and city CEO Tom Hatch, Animal Control Officer Anna Rodriguez, Mathew Schmelzle from the Finance Department, Cecily Renteria from Parks and Community Services, Julie Schall from Human Resources with Brad Long and Tony Dodero working on communication and public affairs.