Long Beach Animal Care Services


Long Beach, California

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About Long Beach Animal Care Services

Long Beach Care Services works hand-in-hand with the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals of Los Angeles (SPCA-LA) to help all the companion animals and homeless pets in Long Beach. Since 2001, these two agencies have joined efforts to shelter and improve the city’s adoption rate.

With a new vision on animal care, a new facility, and an efficient shelter system, Long Beach Animal Care Services' Animal Village has an interactive display so you can go and watch beautiful baby canines chasing their own tails, cat colonies inhabited by curious hunters, and a multipurpose education center that can teach not only pups, but also you a couple of new tricks.

While some of the animals sheltered by Long Beach Animal Care Services stay there and some are sheltered in the SPCA-LA, all of them can be adopted through SPCA-LA facilities. This gives more flexibility for Long Beach Animal Care Services to take in new animals, thus providing a safe haven for lost or ill pets to recover without stress and increasing adoptability for animals in ready to go to a new furever home.

There are four locations from which you can adopt:

  • Long Beach Animal Care Services: 7700 E Spring St, Long Beach, CA 90815
  • SPCA-LA Pet Adoption Center: 5026 W Jefferson Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90016
  • SPCA-LA South Bay Pet Adoption Center: 12910 Yukon Ave, Hawthorne, CA 90250
  • SPCA-LA P.D. Pitchford Companion Animal Village & Education Center: 7700 East Spring St, Long Beach, CA 90815

Contact Info

Address:
7700 E Spring St
,
Long Beach
,
CA
90815
Phone:
(562) 570-7387
Email:
animalrescue@longbeach.gov
Website: longbeach.gov/acs

Hours of Operation

Wed - Fri: 10:00 am - 5:30 pm
Sat - Sun: 10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Mon - Tue: Closed

Adoption Process

The adoption process at Long Beach Animal Care Services is very easy:

  1. Select your pet: Either on their website or directly in the shelter, select an animal you'd like to meet.
  2. Apply to adopt: Complete an adoption application to create a new adopter profile. Their staff will check your application and see what type of animal is best for you.
  3. Arrange a meet-and-greet: This is easy if you’re already in the shelter. If you’re adopting online, their staff will help you schedule a date so you both can spend some time getting to know each other, tail some stories, and create fetching new memories. Bring your family and other pets, especially if there are other dogs in your home. We know that most cats will demand a formal invitation to honor us with their presence, and remember, this is a first first-come, first-served system.
  4. Complete the adoption contract: Finish the paperwork and pay the adoption fee. If your new pet hasn’t been spayed/neutered, you can schedule a pickup after their surgery.

Adoption applications for Long Beach Animal Care Services can be found on their website:

  • Cats and dogs are located here.
  • Birds are located here.
  • Rabbits are located here.
  • Guinea pigs are located here.
  • Rodents are located here.
  • Horses are located here.

If there are several parties interested in the same pet, SPCA-LA will put their names into a “lottery” and draw the name of the lucky new adopter.

Adoption Fees

Adoption fees at Long Beach Animal Care Services are as follows:

Dogs

  • Puppies (up to 4 months): $255
  • Adults (4 months to 5 years): $155
  • Seniors (6+ years): $140
  • Bonded pair of dogs or puppies: $30 off

PetLists Note: Be aware of the issues adopting a pair of bonded puppies commonly known as Littermate Syndrome.

Cats

  • Adults (up to 5 years): $125
  • Seniors (5+ years): $115
  • Bonded pair of cats: $220 ($110 each)

Other Animals

  • Rabbits: $40
  • Hamsters: $15
  • Guinea Pigs: $10
  • Parakeets: Varies
  • Horses: Varies

Your adoption fee covers spaying/neutering, age-appropriate vaccinations, deworming, microchipping and registration, flea and external parasite treatment, temperament assessment, behavior profile, veterinarian examination, grooming, a six weeks free trial with Petsecure pet insurance, a food sample, and a certificate for a free health examination in participating veterinary clinics and select locations.

Adoption Process & Fees

Our writing team is hard at work researching this shelter's adoption process and fees, so this page will be updated soon!

In the meantime, here's some nice-to-know info that applies to nearly every animal shelter, humane society, and rescue.

Why Rescue A Shelter Dog?

Because shelter dogs are full of love!

Is it because they know you saved them and love you harder for it?

I can't say for certain, but yes.

Jokes aside, there are three things all shelter dogs need to thrive in their new home:

  1. Love
  2. Patient
  3. Training

Older shelter dogs, generally 1+ years old, may have experienced a lot of trauma, which often results in one of 8 common behavioral issues:

  1. Anxiety
  2. Aggression toward people & pets
  3. Resource guarding
  4. Destructive behavior
  5. Housetraining regression
  6. Poor social skills
  7. Leash reactivity & barrier-related aggression
  8. Constant whining

These issues are correctable! Your dog isn't broken, they're just damaged. You can fix them with enough love, patience, and a good training plan.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, finding good dog trainers can be hard. Like everything else, dog training is moving only. but there are great online dog trainers that are proven to work and can help get your new pup on the right path.

Animal Shelter vs Humane Society vs Rescue: What's the Difference?

You can learn a lot about an animal welfare organization just by looking at their name.

Animal Shelters

  • Most Animal Shelters are city or county-run organizations, often operated by the local Animal Control department, that manage strays and handle owner surrenders.
  • They usually have kennel facilities you can visit to adopt animals, and they usually have less stringent adoption requirements, lower adoption fees, and same-day adoptions (because their goal is to get animals out of the shelter).
  • Unfortunately, they usually know very little about each animal, including their true personalities and any behavioral problems.

Humane Societies

  • Most Humane Societies are non-profit organizations, many of which are no-kill shelters.
  • Some (but not all) are affiliated with The Humane Society of the United States.
  • They exist to improve animal welfare in the local community and often partner with city or county-run Animal Shelters that often euthanize animals due to capacity restraints.
  • They usually have kennel facilities, sometimes at multiple locations, and usually offer other services to the community such as low-cost spay/neuter clinics, community education programs, and more.
  • They may also have some animals in foster care.
  • There's a lot of variation in process and fees among Humane Societies, but they usually have really good websites that detail everything for you.

Rescues

  • Most Rescues are foster-based organizations that don't have physical facilities.
  • They usually have websites and contact emails, but not all of them have phone numbers.
  • Because they don't have a physical facility, you need to view animals in their foster network online, usually on their website but sometimes on their member pages on either PetFinder or Adopt-a-Pet.
  • If you see an animal you'd like to meet, contact the rescue using the process listed on their website or via email. They'll help you through the application process and set up a time for you to meet the animal at the foster's home.
  • Adopting from a rescue generally is the most expensive option here and takes the longest, but you get an animal that's been cared for in a loving home environment and their foster can tell you a lot about their personality.

6 Tips to Improve Your Adoption Experience

Adoption processes vary drastically from organization to organization, but here are some general tips that apply in most instances. Note that we'll use the term "shelters" here for simplicity but it includes all types of rescue organizations.

  1. See an animal online that you'd like to meet? Call the shelter before your visit to make sure the animal is still available. This especially applies for puppies, which are adopted out quickly.
  2. Usually, you'll need to get some paperwork in order: a photo ID, vaccination/medical records for any pets you currently have, possibly your vet's contact info and a couple of personal references, and (for renters) proof you're allowed to have a pet (copy of your lease or your landlord's contact info).
  3. If you need to provide contact info for your vet, let your vet know ahead of time. Otherwise, they may not release your information.
  4. Many shelters require your current dogs to meet adoptive dogs. Your current dogs need to be up-to-date on vaccinations.
  5. Some shelters require you to schedule a home visit to ensure a suitable living environment for the new animal.
  6. Adoption fees may seem excessive, but they're actually amazing values. Truthfully, caring for a pet is expensive. Most adoption fees include required medical care to get the animal ready for their new home including (but not limited to) spay/neuter surgery, vaccinations, general vet exams, flea/tick treatment, deworming, heartworm testing/treatment for dogs, and feline leukemia and feline AIDS testing/treatment for cats. In general, your adoption fee is less than the cost of this care, so you're saving money in addition to your new animal's life!

If you have any questions about adopting an animal (what you'll need, what to expect, etc.) feel free to contact the PetLists team!

For more information about what's included in your adoption fee, or any other questions about the adoption process, reach out to
Long Beach Animal Care Services
in
Long Beach
,
California
directly using the contact info above.

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Other Shelters in

California

Curious about other shelters? Here's 6 more. You can also browse all
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You can also go back to our listing of all 50 states to find shelters elsewhere in the US.
All information on this page is accurate and up-to-date to the best of our knowledge. If you spot an error, please contact us using our contact form.
Note: Hours of operation and other information on this page are subject to change during the COVID-19 pandemic.