A van with pets in need of adoption from Santa Barbara County arrived in Portland on Saturday, Dec. 23, helping to relieve the pressure on shelters in areas hit by the Thomas fire. The Oregon Humane Society accepted 23 dogs from the Santa Barbara County Animal Services. The Santa Maria Valley Humane Society loaned a van and employee to help transport the dogs to Portland.
OHS Chief Operating Officer Brian August and Santa Maria Valley Humane Society employee Erik Anda transported the dogs to Portland, arriving at noon today. Brian has been deployed in Santa Barbara to help with evacuation efforts and animal care since Monday, Dec. 18.
Three dogs came from the Santa Maria Valley Humane Society and 20 from the Santa Barbara County Animal Services location in Santa Maria. All of the pets were previously available for adoption at the shelters. None of the animals came to shelters because of the Thomas fire or other fires in the county. The animals are being relocated away from Santa Barbara County so that local shelters will have additional space available for the expected influx of pets from fire-stricken areas.
The dogs are available for adoption.
