Picture of the street-side entrance to the Stockton Animal Shelter by Nicholas Michelsen
A black German Shepherd named Eeyore, stared at me through a chain-link gate with wide eyes of desperation. Having patches of black fur, but a mostly naked body and a large bald patch which sits above his brow, resembling a ‘Who’ from the stories of Dr. Seuss. Eeyore looked especially pathetic and sweet with a name most fitting.
On Feb. 5, I took a trip to the Stockton Animal Shelter. Upon arriving at the large metal locked public access door, a staff member opened it to greet me. I was handed a short form to fill out with basic information as part of the intake process. Once the form was completed, I was welcomed inside. The Stockton Animal Shelter sounds like an orchestra of canine voices and is filled with chain-link fences with furry creatures on the other side, all looking desperately for a permanent home.
Strolling through the halls on a guided tour, I saw hundreds of canines barking and pawing at the fences. However, many of the longer-term dogs didn’t bother in the least to get up from their curled position in bed. They just looked onward at us as if to say “Why bother? No one ever picks me.” My compassionate heart sank when seeing so many of them have despair in their eyes, a look that I can only describe as “love-sick.” Maybe in some familiar way, I can relate to them all too well.
That’s when I saw Eeyore. I stood there for a moment longer lost in his eyes, wishing I had room for a bigger dog like him, before catching up with my guide. The volunteer staff at the shelter really care for these animals and it shows. But like a classroom with too many students, there is only so much time in the day and all of them crave more one-on-one interaction.
My guide’s name was Jessica, the Adoption Counselor/Foster Counselor, and the Behavioral Support person. She works with Sacramento Shelter Pets Alive (SSPA), an organization that works with animal shelters and helps to find foster homes and permanent adoption homes for these animals in need.
After my tour, I was instructed to email her if I had interest in adopting a particular animal.
The process starts with an inquiry, followed by a series of follow-up questions. Interested parties are then emailed a foster or adoption agreement.
Participating in the foster program provides cost assistance by covering some food and basic amenities and is temporary until the animal can be adopted to a permanent home. If you choose to be that permanent home, the Foster-to-Adopt program operates the same way until the neuter/spray process commences. Once that is completed, the adoption goes through, and the arrangement becomes permanent.
“The regular adoption fee for a dog or puppy is $124.75. Every adopted dog or puppy includes a spay or neuter surgery, bordetella and DHPP vaccinations, flea and deworming preventative, microchip and rabies vaccinations. For dogs that are four months of age or older, a one-year license is also included for City of Stockton or San Joaquin County residents.
“To increase our life-saving efforts, we regularly reduce adoption fees to increase adoptions, said the Stockton Animal Shelter website. “The regular adoption fee for a cat or kitten is $121.75” according to the adoption tab on the website.”
At the time of writing this, the Stockton Animal Shelter is waiving all adoption fees to help with capacity and encourage more adoptions. Eeyore has also been adopted to a loving home according to staff.
“The Stockton Animal Shelter is the largest open-admission animal shelter in the city of Stockton and San Joaquin County. The animals in our care depend on our staff to improve their lives while in our care. Animals in our care also depend on volunteers who generously dedicate thousands of volunteer hours each year to improve their lives,” reads the opening statement of the volunteer tab on the Animal Shelter section of the City of Stockton website.
If you would like to volunteer, foster or adopt, please visit the Stockton Animal Shelter website for more information.
