Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter

12/06/2025

3 packages left!

Holiday Pawtraits Package Fundraiser

Get Fido and Kitty ready for their close-up! Katie Scott Photography is offering gorgeous photo packages for a $300 donation! We have only 6 packages available, so get yours soon! These adorable photos may just be the purr-fect creative inspiration for your holiday card, decorations, gift list, and more.

The photo sessions will take place at Katie Scott's studio at the Tannery Arts Center. Cats, dogs, or other pets welcome, as well as their humans. The products would be a set of digital downloads, with one of them at a large size for printing purposes. The smaller ones will be big enough for a holiday card.

Katie Scott currently has three dogs from the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter. She is grateful to support the Shelter so that other animals can find loving furever homes in the community. If you have any questions about the donate photo packages, please contact [email protected] for more information.

Donate here👇
https://givebutter.com/pawtraits

12/06/2025

Congratulations to bunny Clover who was adopted last week. Here he is with his new family! We wish them the best.

Interested in meeting some adoptable bunnies? We will be at Bookshop Santa Cruz this Sunday, December 7th from 2-4 pm. Come find us inside. We have staff and volunteers on hand to share information on adding a bunny to your family and to answer questions. Hope to see you there!

The Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter is open to the public from 11am to 6pm every day (except county holidays) and located at 1001 Rodriguez Street at the corner of 7th Avenue in Santa Cruz, CA. Our telephone number is 831-454-7200. Last meet and greet ends at 4:30 pm. Visit our website at scanimalshelter.org or click on link in Bio.

Thank you for your support! The Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter is an open door shelter. We will not turn away any Santa Cruz County animal in need.

12/06/2025

Come meet adoptable Taquito!

12/05/2025

Meet the squash babies, Acorn (brown tabby male), Butternut (gray male tabby), and Delicata (brown female tabby)! While they started out a little shy, they have certainly warmed up to the humans in their foster home and appreciate pets and scritches, especially around naps and meal times. They have lots of good fun kitten energy and love to run and play hard (except during nap time, which they also love). All of these sweethearts would thrive in a family with another friendly kitty, and they LOVE big kitties who will give them baths and let them snuggle up.

Acorn is the bravest of his siblings. He has enjoyed having big kitty friends in his foster home and he will nuzzle under their chins whenever one is near.

Butternut is always hungry and is the first to the food bowl at meal times. He also goes crazy for a good stick toy and will almost do backflips during playtime.

Delicata can be shy when first meeting new people, but took an instant liking to the big kitties in her foster home. She can often be found napping with a big kitty or with one of her siblings. She makes the cutest chirping noise to let you know she requires attention.

The Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter is open to the public from 11am to 6pm every day (except county holidays) and located at 1001 Rodriguez Street at the corner of 7th Avenue in Santa Cruz, CA. Our telephone number is 831-454-7200. Last meet and greet ends at 4:30 pm. Visit our website at scanimalshelter.org or click on link in Bio.

12/04/2025

Repost from
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Geoff from stopped by to meet Rocco — and kick off something special for the 831 🐾💙

This week’s Locals (Only!) Giveaway is ON, and it’s all about giving back:
🎟 Win a pair of tickets to The Expendables on Dec 6 w/ &
🐶 Get all adoption fees covered for your new best friend, thanks to our friends at Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter

💌 The giveaway launches TONIGHT in our newsletter… sign up NOW and keep an eye out and don’t miss your chance to enter!

📲 Subscribe now via the link in bio

Winner chosen Friday 12/5

12/04/2025

Come to Bookshop Santa Cruz on Sunday, 12/07 from 2-4 pm and meet adoptable bunnies!

🐰 Get ready for cuteness overload! 🐰

🥕 Come meet some adorable bunnies this Sunday, December 7th from 2-4pm in our Skylight Room.

🫶 Huge shoutout to the SCC Animal Shelter for all you do to help find homes for animals in need during the holidays, and always!

🥕Hoppy Holidays! 🙃

12/04/2025

This dog is in our care.

Pupdate 12/5 - transferred to Santa Cruz
https://24Petconnect.com/DetailsMain/SNCR/A327163
__________
Courtesy post of dog found and currently at the Watsonville shelter: A327163 - an unaltered male, brown Poodle - Standard and Labrador Retriever. Found on Freedom Blvd and Green Valley Rd.
Age: The shelter staff think I am about 1 year old.
More Info: I have been at the shelter since Dec 03, 2025.

Shelter information
Location: Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter - Watsonville
Website: www.scanimalshelter.org
Phone Number: (831) 454-7200
Address: 580 Airport Boulevard
Watsonville, CA 95076
Extra Information:
Hours:
Tuesday – Saturday 9:30 am – 5:00 pm (closed 12:00 – 1:00)
Closed on County holidays

12/03/2025

Our Santa Cruz and Watsonville locations will be closing an hour early at 5 pm on Thursday, December 4th for a staff event. Thank you🙏

Check out Shelter alum Bailey in front and his sister Zoey who came to our Holiday Pawlooza and got their photo taken with Santa.

12/03/2025

Repost from
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Heads up, tide watchers! King Tides in Santa Cruz County have arrived. This is a spectacular natural phenomenon where the ocean reaches unusually high levels. Here are the upcoming dates you’ll want to mark on your calendar:

King Tide Dates
• December 4 to 6, 2025
• January 1 to 3, 2026

A gentle request for dog owners:
To protect the tide pools and wildlife in the Pleasure Point area, please leave your dogs at home during these dates. The pools are fragile ecosystems where shorebirds, anemones, and small marine creatures take refuge, and pets can unintentionally disturb or harm them.

Safety and environmental tips:
• Stay well back from the surf zone. Waves, slippery rocks, and rogue surges can surprise you.
• Never turn your back on the ocean. Keep eyes on the swell and conditions.
• Wear non slip shoes, bring a light jacket, and be prepared for wind or spray.
• Be mindful of wildlife. Avoid stepping on tide pool creatures and don’t disturb resting birds.
• Pack out everything you bring and keep the natural environment clean for others and for the animals.
• Photograph responsibly. Only step where it’s safe and always respect the habitat.

Let’s all enjoy the magic of the King Tides while protecting the beauty and biodiversity of our coast. Stay safe, stay aware, and leave no trace.

Photo Cred: Santa Cruz Life

12/03/2025

Meet our Pet of the Week - Gorgeous young 8-month-old Matilda is a friendly, sociable, bouncy, a bit rough-and-tumble in play, and, with some positive guidance and training - the potential to be a lovely and fun companion, with an easy-care coat and sturdy composition.

Matilda has already lived with several different people. We’re not sure where she originally came from, since she had no microchip and no detailed back story, but the person who contacted us about her had gotten her from someone else who couldn’t afford to keep her and he, in turn, reached out to us because he couldn’t afford to feed her AND his current dog. Each person passed her along in hopes that a BETTER home could be found for her - and that’s what we’re hoping to do, too - find someone ready and able to commit to a large, young, “very Rottweiler” Rottie and give her a loving, consistent, lifelong home.

She’s treat-motivated and LOVES positive reinforcement training. Like a lot of Rotties, she can be a little boisterous, silly, and a bit rough when she plays - whether with toys, with people or with other dogs, and not everyone is up for that... She pulls some on a leash at first or when excited, and she IS a large, strong dog, so all those characteristics are important to consider, but during her time at the shelter she’s really started to show how sociable and friendly she is with everyone she meets, which is a key personality trait for a wonderful canine companion. She may do best without small kids, and if you’ve already got a dog, a sturdy, rough-and-tumble dog will be the best fit.

The Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter is open to the public from 11am to 6pm every day (except county holidays) and located at 1001 Rodriguez Street at the corner of 7th Avenue in Santa Cruz, CA. Our telephone number is 831-454-7200. Last meet and greet ends at 4:30 pm. Visit our website at scanimalshelter.org or click on link in Bio.

12/03/2025

Thank you to everyone who came out to support Holiday Pawlooza! We raised an amazing $3,433.92 for our dog enrichment program.

A very special thank-you to Lynsey, Trinity and Courtney for playing such a big role in making the event a success. We appreciate you!

A big thanks to Kimberly for hosting and Taryn for the pet photos with Santa.

A huge shoutout to all the local vendors who joined us to share and sell their amazing products—your participation helped make the event truly special.

.jaeliang plus Dave, Sarah and Girl Scouts Troop 15527 and Santa Stephen.

The dog enrichment program is run entirely by dedicated volunteers who work to support the mental and emotional well-being of every dog in our shelter. They provide stimulating games and puzzles in the yard or cuddle room, and craft in-kennel enrichment items such as scented braids or treat-filled boxes to keep dogs engaged.

These activities aren’t just “extras”—they are essential for reducing stress, building confidence, and helping dogs show their best selves while they wait for their forever homes.

Thank you🙏🥰🐶🐾