If you live in the Bakersfield area and are in need of an animal shelter, whether you want to drop off an animal, adopt a pet or donate your money or time, it can be difficult to know where to go. This article will help you out by detailing four animal shelters in Bakersfield and one thirty minutes away in Delano, California. Shelters are experiencing cutbacks so they can use any help you may offer them.
Animal Shelters inBakersfield#1: SPCA
The SPCA is located at 3000 Gibson St Bakersfield, CA, 93308. The shelter is open Tuesday through Sunday 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM. They are closed on Sundays. Their mission is to adopt as many pets as possible into loving homes.
When I was in High School, I took an Animal Care Class and we got the chance to volunteer somewhere with animals. I picked the SPCA. It was nice helping with the animals but also heartbreaking because so many pets need homes. The shelter could really use help with pet food, blankets, etc as well as actually volunteering at the shelter.
If you want to volunteer, you can fill out an application on their webpage here.
For more information, call (661) 323-8353.
Animal Shelters inBakersfield#2:KernCountyAnimal Control Shelter
Kern County Animal Shelter is another one of Bakersfield’s main shelters. Their mission is to make sure as many animals in Bakersfield are spayed and neutered as possible. Besides being an animal shelter, they deal with animal control and have several clinics set up where you can get your pet’s rabies shots.
Volunteers are needed at the shelter to help owners look for lost pets amongst the shelter, help people adopt pets at the shelter, etc. Donations are also needed and the shelter has a wish list. Some of the items on the list are: toys for cats and dogs, litter pans, old blankets and shoe boxes.
Kern County Animal Control Shelter is located at 201 South Mount Vernon Avenue, Bakersfield, CA 93307. They are open from 9 to 4. Call (661) 868-7100 for more details.
The Cat People focuses only on cats. They don’t have an actual shelter where you can come in and adopt cats. They instead of several cats in foster homes and have days at PetSmart where you can come see cats and then adopt one. They are at PetSmart on weekends and by appointments.
The Cat People also have a gift shop of cat items called Pawsitively Cats. It is staffed by volunteers and they could use additional volunteers to help at the shop. The shop is located at 602 18th Street Bakersfield, CA 93301. The phone number for the shop is (661) 327-7297. They are open Tuesday through Friday 11 AM to 3 PM and on Saturdays from 10 AM to 1 PM.
Their mission statement from their website says “The Cat People, an all-volunteer organization, was founded in October of 1990, in Bakersfield, California, by two friends outraged at the treatment of abandoned helpless felines. They soon gathered a group of compassionate individuals who wanted to help these animals. The mission statement grew to encompass the plight of homeless felines city-wide. Out of this grass-roots effort grew a non profit organization with a Board of Directors and a solid administrative base. The mission of The Cat People is to reduce the cat overpopulation through spay/neuter programs and compassionately manage feral cat colonies.”
If you would like to make arrangements to see the pets, call 661-391-8212 for directions as they do not post the address. They are open Monday through Sunday 10 AM to 4 PM. You can also call that number if you’d like to volunteer.
Volunteers are needed to play with the dogs (so the dogs can get used to people and get exercise), assist at adoptions, transporting, being a foster home etc.
If mailing a donation, mail it to ALPHA Canine Sanctuary P.O. Box 5517 Bakersfield, CA 93388.
While not located in Bakersfield, Delano Animal Shelter is roughly 30 minutes away from Bakersfield. Their mission statement is “Dog adoption and cat adoption saves lives. Adopt a dog or adopt a cat and you’ll have a friend for life!” If you’d like to adopt an animal, the fee is $10 dollars plus the cost of how much would cost to spay or neuter the animal. Shelter hours are 9 AM – 3:30 PM during the week and 9 AM – 2 PM on weekends. If you’d like to volunteer call the shelter at (661) 721-3377. You can also donate pet food, old bedding, etc.
