Hollister Police Animal Care and Services’ annual statistics for 2019 show a marked improvement in the department’s live release rate in recent years.
The Hollister Animal Shelter is the only all intake animal shelter for Hollister and unincorporated San Benito County, responsible for taking in stray animals, dangerous animal investigations, owner surrenders, owner-requested euthanasia, deceased animals and cruelty/neglect investigations.
Hollister police’s Animal Care and Services released its 2019 annual report earlier this week. According to the report, 1,696 live animals passed through the Hollister Animal Shelter in 2019. These animals included dogs, cats, rabbits, large and small livestock, poultry, wildlife and even reptiles from Hollister and unincorporated areas of the county.
According to Hollister Animal Shelter data, 729 animals were adopted or sent to rescue groups, and another 391 animals were reunited with their owners in 2019. Aside from sheltering services, animal control officers from Animal Care and Services responded to 1,018 field calls in the city and county last year.
Every year, the Animal Care and Services department calculates its live release rate by dividing the number of live outcomes by all outcomes, with the exception of owner-requested euthanasia and animals brought to the shelter as deceased. In 2019, the Hollister Animal Shelter reported a live release rate of 70 percent. The live release rate has steadily increased in recent years from 46 percent in 2016.
Animal Care and Services staff believe the increase in save rates may be a result of better spay and neuter procedures, increased pet adoption fairs, education through social media, expanding relationships with rescue organizations, additional volunteers and responsible pet ownership. Another factor is that staff often keep animals longer than the required time limits. This extra time allows staff to work with the animal to make it more adoptable or to move on to a rescue group to continue developing.
“In the years to come, we look forward to continuing to improve our animal sheltering services as we grow with our community,” said Animal Care and Services Supervisor Kara Ells.
Additional statistics from the Hollister Animal Shelter can be found on the city’s website. Anyone interested in volunteering with Hollister Police Animal Care and Services is asked to contact the shelter at (831) 636-4320.
