Orange County Animal Services unveils new program to help pet owners

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Orange County Animal Services unveiled a new program to help struggling pet owners.

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The goal is to keep dogs and cats out of the cages and in their homes.

Over the years, Channel 9 has covered the issues the shelter continues to see, like overcrowding and surrenders.

When you walk into the animal shelter, you’ll notice the barking isn’t as loud as it used to be.

It stopped accepting dogs in September due to a canine pneumovirus outbreak.

“Before any of this happened, our numbers were very high, said Bryant Almeda with Orange County Animal Services. “We had well over 300 animals here at the shelter. It was getting very difficult.”

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For months, the shelter struggled with overcrowding. Some dogs were three to a cage.

Staff began providing phone consultations to owners who were considering surrendering their pets.

“It was actually kind of incredible,” Almeda said. “We found out a lot of people didn’t want to surrender their animals. They felt like they had no other option.”

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The shelter introduced the new Animal Intake Diversion program. It provides owners with information about various resources available in the community, such as pet food pantries and pet-friendly housing.

It even provides training and behavior advice.

“The shelter, no matter what, should be your last resource,” Almeda said.

If you show up in person, you’ll receive a card with a QR code to scan and set up an appointment.

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