The new animal shelter hours will take effect Oct. 23, according
to the city.
The new animal shelter hours will take effect Oct. 23, according to the city.
Council members earlier this month voted 3-2 to return the Hollister Animal Shelter to a Monday through Friday schedule. For nearly two years, the city had operated a Tuesday through Saturday slate to accommodate people who are busy or out of town during the week.
Council members indicated a desire in early August to revert back to the traditional Monday through Friday schedule, after the city had changed the hours to Tuesday through Saturday about 19 months ago.
But when the item came back for approval three weeks ago, it was a split vote, with council members Doug Emerson and Pauline Valdivia opposing the switch to Monday through Friday and Council members Victor Gomez and Eugenia Sanchez approving it. Councilman Ray Friend was absent at the prior meeting. He returned at the October meeting and voted to approve the weekday slate.
Police Chief Jeff Miller reported to council members in August that “there appears to have been insignificant public utilization of the Saturday opening.” He said the weekday-only schedule will also allow his department to offer more administrative support to the shelter.
From March 2009 through February 2010, while shelter admissions jumped nearly 10.5 percent, the adoption rate decreased by 4.5 percent and the euthanasia rate jumped more than 8 percent, according to the city.
The animal shelter is located at 1331 South St. Starting October 23, it will be closed on Saturdays and Sundays and open on Monday through Friday. The shelter will remain closed to the public from 8 a.m. until noon to allow animal control officers to process animals and clean the shelter. The shelter will then be open to the public from noon to 5 p.m.
The Hollister animal control staff would like to remind everyone to visit the animal control website page at
www.hollister.ca.gov for updated general information, special links, information on how to adopt a pet, and photographs of the “pet of the week.”
The Hollister Animal Shelter is located at 1331 South St. and the phone number is (831) 636-4320.
