Orange County Animal Services

12/04/2024

12/03/2024

**FOOD GIVEAWAY**

Just a reminder to our community to join us tomorrow, December 4th, for a pet food giveaway. We will be making available several hundred pounds of pet food that was generously donated to us by Science Diet Hill’s Pet Nutrition’s and Paul Wean, a member of our advisory board.

This event will be held at our shelter (2769 Conroy Road, Orlando) starting at 10am until supplies run out. It will be for Orange County residents and their pets.

The food giveaway will be set up in a drive-thru fashion, with people able to stay in their cars and receive up to two bags of cat or dog food on a first come, first served basis.

All county residents are welcome!

12/02/2024

**ALFIE A553281**

Many of the dogs that come to the shelter come in a s strays. People will ask us a million questions about them, but the reality is, we do not know anything about them: about their likes or dislikes, their fears, their past. A lot of these dogs are fearful, skittish, shy. A lot of them are unsure around other dogs and are unsocialized. This doesn’t mean their bad dogs. It just means that if adopted, they will need patience. Training. Understanding. And love.

This is Alfie.

Back in August, we responded to a call from a maintenance worker who was stuck inside a vacant house. The reason he was stuck was because a dog was on the porch, who would bark and growl at him whenever he tried to leave. Our officer arrived, and met Alfie. 60lbs of muscle, stubbornness, and treat obsession.

When he first got to the shelter, Alfie was a bit fearful and kept to himself. He did well with other dogs, but with people, he was aloof and a bit indifferent. He preferred to run and play with the yard toys than to interact with staff. He did not like being touched, and every time we tried, he would take off running to the other end of the yard. We don’t know what his past experience may have been with people, but it could not have been good.

Alfie looks like he should be a sweet, cuddly, and affectionate boy. His fur almost feels like a teddy bear’s fur, and he has beautiful, almost sad eyes. But Alfie is not a sad dog. He is strong, independent, stubborn, and intelligent. He is not overly affectionate, and it takes him a long time to warm up to people. Cuddling is new to him; you can tell he struggles with giving in to affection. He accepts love carefully, but after a few seconds, he runs off again to be on his own.

Alfie always sits quietly in his kennel, waiting for his turn to go outside for a walk, or for some play time in the yards. He is not big, but Alfie is strong, and pulls hard on a leash. It’s clear he’s had very little training. Sadly, it’s also clear he’s known very little love. He’s been at the shelter now for over four months now. We’re hoping to find the right person for Alfie; someone who will give him his space and the time it will take for his heart to come around.

Let’s get him seen.
Let’s get him home.

11/30/2024

We are absolutely blown away by the response following our plea for Mashed Potato (A560034) yesterday. His video, which depicts the 90-pound gentle giant being carried by our Kennel Manager Ryan to a play yard and then shaking out of fear, has been viewed more than 7.5 million times. We’ve received so many heartwarming emails, from people who are local, out of state and even out of country, who are interested in him or want to check in and see how he’s doing.

During our holiday closure he seemed to shut down even more, refusing to eat. This poor guy is just so broken-hearted to be here and undeniably stressed. One of our rescue partners, Furever Bully Love Rescue, offered their assistance and picked him up this morning, along with another shelter dog in need, Mist (A559747).

He’s now in the care of their veterinarian, soon to transition to a foster home and then a forever home once he’s ready. We’re so thankful for their assistance, and for the outpouring of love we’ve received from everyone who was moved by his story.

For those that are open to adopting, we beg of you to please check out our other shelter dogs. We have more than 150 currently available. Please check them out on our website here: https://ocnetpets.com/Adopt/AnimalsinShelter.aspx. We’re open from 10 a.m. through 6 p.m. on Sunday and located at 2769 Conroy Road in Orlando.

11/28/2024

**HAPPY THANKSGIVING**

There is so much this year to be thankful for, but as always, we wanted to send out a special shout out of gratitude to our staff. While everyone enjoys the holidays with their families, these special people are out on the road, taking calls. They are in our clinic, caring for the sick and injured. And they are here in the shelter kennels, making sure they are clean and our animals are fed, walked, and happy.

This year, our amazing kennel staff decided to let our dogs take part in the Thanksgiving festivities. Leading up to the holiday, some of our long-stay dogs were provided a turkey dinner with some delicious sides. At the recommendation of our veterinarian we kept the Thanksgiving meals relatively bland, so as not to upset the dogs' stomachs, sharing sliced turkey and pureed carrot and sweet potato.

We hope that someday, all of them will be in new homes, being spoiled rotten, picking at leftovers, and creating traditions and memories of their own.

11/27/2024

**FOOD GIVEAWAY**

Next Wednesday, December 4th, we will be making available to our community several hundred pounds of free pet food that was generously donated to us by Science Diet Hill’s Pet Nutrition and Paul Wean, a member of our advisory board.

This event will be held at our shelter (2769 Conroy Road, Orlando) starting at 10am until supplies run out. It will be for Orange County residents and their pets.

The food giveaway will be set up in a drive-thru fashion, with people able to stay in their cars and receive up to two bags of cat or dog food on a first come, first served basis.

We've hosted similar events in the past, and they were extremely well received. Every day we receive owner surrenders, and we see that a portion of these animals are surrendered simply because of cost. Through this event, our aim is to help hundreds of pet owners, some of whom may be on the brink of having to make the difficult decision to surrender due to the inability to afford pet food.

We are this county’s only open admission pet shelter, which means homeless pets are never turned away, regardless of any potential medical issue or behavior challenge. As a result, the shelter receives a high volume of animals. So we look for any way that we can help keep owned and loved animals with their families.
We are dedicated to keeping families together and we invite any pet owner experiencing hardship to reach out to the shelter to see what resources exist to help them in their current situation.

Let's keep our pets where they belong: in their homes.

11/27/2024

**OCAS CLOSED FOR THANKSGIVING**

The shelter is open today from 2pm to 6pm, but we wanted to remind everyone that OCAS will be closed for the Thanksgiving holiday, both Thursday, November 28th and Friday, November 29th. We will be open and ready for adoptions on Saturday, November 30th.

We wish everyone a safe and Happy Thanksgiving, for yourself, your family, and your pets.

As always, we at OCAS are extremely grateful for our community of adopters, foster parents, and volunteers.

Please remember there are so many amazing cats and dogs at the shelter that are still looking for good homes this holiday season.

There's still time to foster or take part in our sleepover program, and let one of these sweet souls spend the holidays in a home.

11/26/2024

**JACK JACK A557337**

We have all heard the saying: never judge a book by its cover. Nothing is truer than when it comes to dogs. We have seen the meanest dogs with the sweetest of faces, and the sweetest dogs with the scariest of looks. But no matter how many times we tell people to keep an open mind and give some of these dogs a chance, dogs of a certain breed are forever overlooked. Based on nothing more than what they look like.

This is Jack Jack.

If there was one word to describe Jack Jack, according to staff and volunteers, it would be “chill.” Jack Jack was found as a stray by a resident, and nothing is known about his past. Our vets estimate his age to be around six years old. And from the moment he got here, his notes have been, well, very chill. Jack Jack is calm, gentle, sweet, and takes treats from our hands like a sleepy toddler. Other dogs bring out his playful side, and he has been a star in play groups, plodding around, wrestling, slowly chasing and being chased. Jack Jack does not expend a ton of energy; he prefers to hug and snuggle and nap in the yards. He does like to take long (and slow) walks, but mostly Jack Jack prefers to chill in our arms.

Sadly, this sweet boy rarely gets any attention. According to the people who walk past his kennel, “he just looks scary.”

The scariest thing Jack Jack does is pretend to be lap dog and tries to sit on our laps. At almost 80lbs, that is as adorable as it is painful.

If you are looking to adopt, all we ask is that you come to the shelter with an open mind and an open heart. There are dozens of dogs here just like sweet Jack Jack, and all they need is a chance.
Jack Jack doesn’t deserve the scary reputation he has.
He’s just a big dog with a big heart.

Let’s get him seen.
Let’s get him home.

11/25/2024

**HORTON A559448**

A few weeks ago, our shelter did a dog swap with our friends at Lake County Florida Animal Shelter. We’ve done this in the past with other agencies, in an effort to help these dogs reach new audiences, and hopefully score new families. As of this date, every single dog that was swapped from Lake County has found a new home, except for one.

This is Horton.

Horton is a quiet, sweet and very energetic senior. He was one of four dogs transferred into our care from Lake County. At their facility, he was one of their longest residents, having been there for a whole year. Horton is eight years old, intelligent, and affectionate on his own terms. He is definitely treat motivated, but when treats are offered, he will sn**ch them up like a piranha. We’re working on that with him.

Horton will benefit from consistency and some basic training, as being in a shelter environment for so long, he may not remember what it was like to live in a home. We're really hoping we can change that for him. He’s been featured by our friends at FOX 35 Orlando, and Orlando Weekly. And during the rest of November, all senior dogs like Horton will have their adoption fees waived.

If you do the math, it’s heartbreaking, as Horton has been without a home now for over 380 days. That’s a very long time without a family. Without love. We think it’s long enough.

Let’s get him seen.
Let’s get him home.

11/24/2024

UPDATE: JEMMA WAS ADOPTED!

**JEMMA A557810**

It’s always a strange thing to see certain dogs get completely overlooked here at the shelter. Especially the really good and sweet dogs that on paper check all the boxes, but for some reason, they are all but invisible to the public.

This is Jemma.

Jemma is five years old, a stray, and to us, an absolutely perfect dog. Jemma is gentle, calm, loves to be outside on long walks almost as much as she loves to cuddle with people. Jemma gets along well with other dogs, does well in cars, and pretty much seems unbothered by everything.

Except ducks. They are her Achille’s heel. She is not a fan.

So we decided to make her our WESH 2 News WESH 2 The Rescue dog, and we took her into the studio to get her the attention we know she so badly needs. And all we can say is that Jemma was absolutely incredible. Well behaved, sweet, and even a little bit shy and nervous around all the people, cameras and lights. But once it was show time, Jemma turned on the charm and just soaked up all the love.

Afterwards, in keeping with our traditions, we took her to get a well deserved pup cup with our friends at Starbucks. All in all, a great day for this sweet and beautiful girl. When we finally got her back to the shelter, she was ready for a nap. We’re all hoping that the additional exposure will shine a bright light on Jemma, and that she’ll get to spend the holidays with a family of her own.

Let’s get her seen.
Let’s get her home.

11/23/2024

** A PLEA FOR MORTICIA A557331**

We’re reaching out to our community, all our rescues, and all our friends, for the help we know is out there, somewhere. Not for us, but for Morticia.

A skinny, rough looking dog came to our shelter in early October, after a resident noticed she had been abandoned by their neighbors. They thought about keeping her, because she was sweet, energetic, and a little bit stubborn. But they couldn’t, because they owned dogs and all the dogs did not get along. So they brought her to us, in hopes we could care for her, and find her the right home. The dog was approximately six years old and in rough condition, with significant hair loss and some worrisome masses and tumors, potentially indicative of cancer. She was underweight, shy and friendly with staff, but she did not seem to like other dogs.

We named her Morticia, as it was Halloween season, and our vets immediately got to work.

Unfortunately, they quickly discovered her medical needs far surpass the care she can receive here at the shelter, where we’re balancing the care of approximately 300 other pets. Our vets set a medical deadline for her. Morticia has to have a committed adopter or rescue group, who understands her medical challenges, by Tuesday evening.

And we are all just…heartbroken.

There’s so much we wish we could do for her, but right now, what Morticia needs is an adopter or a rescue that will take on all her troubles. Our vets are concerned that her condition could quickly get worse, and it would be unfair to keep her at the shelter. Morticia doesn’t have years or months. She has days, unless she can get the help she so desperately needs.

We know it’s an impossible ask.
But we also know there is always a chance.
And we have hope.
Hope that there’s someone out there who can save her, and give her the life that was stolen from her. Someone who will not just abandon her when she needs them the most.

A few words on Morticia. She is gentle, energetic, and absolutely beautiful. She can be timid around new people, and takes her time to warm up. She definitely does not seem to enjoy the company of other dogs, at least not here, but that could change with time and proper socialization. Morticia has deep and soulful eyes; one look at her sweet face, and you get the feeling she knows more than most dogs do.
There’s a deep sadness there.
We want to change that.

We want to save her life. But we can’t do it without your help. Please, if you have it in your heart to save her, visit our shelter or send us an email at [email protected]. We can provide her medical information and we recommend that anyone interested share our vets’ findings with their own veterinarian to see what they recommended for ongoing care and maintenance of her multiple health issues.

Share her story.
Let’s get her seen.
Let’s get her home.

11/22/2024

**FOSTER FRIDAY CUTENESS OVERLOAD**

It’s been a long week here at OCAS, so we thought we’d start the weekend off with some adorable (and available) kittens. For our Foster Friday post, meet Hallie (A558417) and Patches (A558082). These two have been in a foster home for some time, but their foster mom feels they are finally ready for their new homes and their new lives. We think so too. She recently sent us these updates on the two of them:

“Meet Patches, an adorable little calico kitten who arrived at the shelter the week before Halloween (hence her name, Patches is short for Pumpkin Patch and for her pretty coat!). Patches is very sweet and loving. She likes attention, and for being a small little girl, is very brave and outgoing. She does get along with her friend, Hallie, who she was raised with, but would also do fine being adopted separately. She enjoys playing with toys, exploring, and is happiest being in close proximity to people. She’s gentle and well behaved and is a joy to be around.

Meet Hallie, an adorable little kitten who also arrived at the shelter the week before Halloween (hence her name). She is very sweet and loving and will climb onto your lap and just purr. She also likes to climb onto your shoulder! She does get along with her friend, Patches, who she was raised with, but would also do fine being adopted to a home with another kitten on playful cat. She enjoys playing with toys and is very energetic. She definitely needs another cat/kitten in the home to play with and help her blow off some energy. She would probably do best in a home without very young kids, as she can sometimes play bite or scratch when playing. We’re working on not doing this, and she’d probably be fine with older kids who know to tell her “Stop”, but she does have a lot of energy!”

We’re pretty sure these two will have no problems finding a home, as they are both incredibly adorable. If interested in one of them, or even better, in both, please email their foster mom here: [email protected]

Let’s get these cuties seen.
Let’s get them home.

11/21/2024

This story surprised us, and touched us all.

A little over a month ago, we put out a post and a plea for senior bonded pair Hilda and Zelda. We always say, nothing is harder than seeing senior dogs at the shelter. And this was especially true of our sweet bonded pair of girls. These two were inseparable; napping and cuddling together, eating together, and enjoying playgroups and yard time, always together. Though the response to the post was good, no one seemed interested in giving these girls a chance.

So we reached out to our good friend Trooper Steve. We knew it was a long shot; it’s a hard ask of anyone to adopt out two senior dogs. But we knew if anyone could get them seen, it was him. So he agreed to swing by and visit these two gentle golden girls. He asked us to send him some pictures, so he could announce them on the air on the day before the visit. And when he showed their picture to his audience, someone noticed.

Today, while we were live on the air with Trooper Steve, Zelda and Hilda, their adopter showed up. She told us she had seen them on the news the day before, and then today on the live segment, and she just knew she had to come and see them in person. And when she did meet them, she fell in love.

We’re so grateful and happy for our media friends, and for all the amazing adopters that give our dogs a second chance. We are never going to forget walking the girls out of our doors, and into their new lives.

Zelda and Hilda were seen, and now, together, they’re going home.

11/21/2024

In recent weeks we’ve become aware of scams directed toward people who have lost their pets. Scammers are misrepresenting themselves as agents of our shelter and requesting immediate payment. We want to share this message to help protect people from falling victim to these cruel attempts.

Please know Orange County Animal Services has set fees related to reclaims, listed here: https://ocnetpets.com/ProgramsServices/PetReclaims.aspx. We cannot and will not charge more than these amounts. Also, we will never solicit payment via money transfer apps, or gift cards. When we reach out to owners about reclaiming their pets, the first thing we ask them to do is visit the shelter, not send money. If someone is contacting you on behalf of our shelter and you have any suspicion about the legitimacy of the information, please visit our shelter in person to speak with our staff, we are open seven days a week.

One of our rescue partners, United Paws Rescue Inc, was a target of a scam just this week. The rescue operator shared the following with our team:

“I apologize for the practically hysterical texts/emails yesterday. At 2 p.m. yesterday I was driving my own kit kats up to UF for their annual visit. I received a private number call and assumed it was one of our veterinarians we work with calling from their cellphone. The person on the other line identified themselves as OCAS and said they had a woman just bring in Bella, after she saw her get hit by a car.

Bella has been missing for 20 days now (foster accidentally left the back door open) so of course I started crying, praying Bella was OK. He said they now had emergency veterinarians who were currently working on Bella. He said that Bella had come in paralyzed from being hit by a car and they were working on her in the back.

This person stated for this surgery there would be a cost of $5,400. At this point I was consumed with grief and worry about Bella so I said OK, OK that's fine. He said it was policy to collect half of the money before they start the surgery to save Bella. I said let me link my rescue partner Holly into the call….she also did not realize this was a SCAM. The man said he needed to collect this money now. The rescue, as usual, has no money. I told him I was driving on the highway and was trying to get it [the credit card] as fast as possible. He said we do not take credit cards anymore; you would have to Zelle the $2700 over and gave me a number to send it to. He said they can also do Cash App/Venmo.

By this time I am getting more upset trying to log into my Venmo and add this person "Christy" who worked in billing and also drive on 75 to Gainesville. I was having problems and I said please give me a minute. He said he cannot hang up or they would have to let Bella go.

Even a day later typing this is still beyond upsetting to me.

I said I needed to reach one of you. At this point he hung up the phone and that is when I started calling/texting/emailing all of you, now full blown hysterical that Bella wasn't being cared for. I finally spoke to Amy, and she said they did not have Bella there and this is a scam.

In a normal day, without me already being worried sick with Bella being lost, I would have known it was a scam and hung up immediately, but with such worry about her I fell for the scam hook, line and sinker. Thankfully I was having issues trying to add my credit card info to Venmo and had not sent any money. Evidentially this is happening with other PawBoost posts and they are calling identifying themselves as several other county shelters too.”

It's heartbreaking to know there are people attempting to take advantage of grieving and upset pet owners, people who are often so desperate for a chance to be reunited with their pet they may be willing to look past suspicious behavior. Please share this message so we can bring light to this issue.

11/20/2024

**ARM YOUR PET EVENT**

Today our shelter hosted a free dog wellness event for all Orange County residents and their pets. We are happy to report that the event was a success.

In a short period of time, we were able to vaccinate and microchip 73 dogs. While that may not seem like a huge number, for us, this number signifies 73 healthy dogs, all of them current on their rabies vaccination, and able to be returned to their families if ever lost or separated.

Our staff was amazing, and worked very hard to keep everything running smoothly.

We are hoping to hold more events like this one at our shelter, and get that number even higher.

We know how beneficial these things can be to keep the families in our community together.

11/20/2024

Our FREE rabies vaccine and microchiping event is underway! This dog-specific event is available through 12 p.m. today. Please visit our shelter to take advantage of this opportunity.

11/19/2024

**ADOPTION PROMOTION NOVEMBER**

Some of the saddest faces at the shelter belong to our senior animals. These gentle souls have lived long and full lives; some good, some bad. They’ve learned about love, and they are all too familiar with heartbreak. Historically senior pets are overlooked for younger ones. They spend long hours inside our kennels, daydreaming about their younger days. About their old homes. About families now long gone.

Starting tomorrow, we at OCAS have decided to waive the adoption fees for all senior dogs and cats. Every animal at our shelter that is seven years and older will not have an adoption fee for the rest of November. Instead, we ask that their adopters spend that money on them; for their care and comfort. This holiday season, we are giving thanks for our senior pets, and removing any obstacle to their adoption. These pets should be spending their golden years with a family, not in a shelter.

Let’s bring these gentle souls home for the holidays, and spoil them rotten. Pets are never too old to love, or be loved.

Let’s get these seniors seen.
Let’s get them home.

11/19/2024

**HAPPY TAIL KOBE**

A few days ago, we posted a short video about Kobe who was, at the time, our longest resident. We were all a little heartbroken, because we had taken him to an adoption event, and he was not one of the lucky ones to get adopted. At that point, Kobe had been with us well over a hundred days. So we tried another social media plea, and this time, we struck the right chord, inside the right heart.

We recently received this update from his adopter:

“Wanted to thank everyone on staff, Kobe is enjoying his new home. It’s only been 4 days but he is right at home with his 2 new sisters. My heart simply wants to explode with Love for this gentle boy. He knows tricks and simple commands, as you all know. BUT did you know that when you make kissy noises he fills your face with kisses? He’s an absolute mush ball. He has several bedding options, but his favorite is his brother’s bed where he gets plenty of cuddles, blankets and pillows. Wanted to give you an update because we know much you all loved Kobe during his 110-day stay.“

Our hearts want to explode too. Though we miss him, we are over the moon to hear how well he’s doing. This is what a happy tail is.
This is what we hope for, for all our animals.

Kobe was seen, and Kobe is finally home.