Home - Animal Services (2024)

Both dogs and cats can react violently to loud noises, especially when they are left alone or in an unfamiliar environment. There have been stories of pets breaking through glass windows, jumping over fences, and ending up miles away from home during Fourth of July week. Here are some tips to help you and your pet enjoy July 4th safely:

• Keep Your Pets Indoors: Even if your pet is used to being outside, with noises as terrifying as fireworks, your pet may break through your fence or chew through his leash. Always keep your pet in a room without large windows or objects that he could break or knock over.
  
• Be sure your pet has ID: If your pet does manage to escape, having an ID tag or microchip is the best way to get him home safely. Be sure the collar your dog or cat has is secure and the information on his or her tags is updated. Also, having a current picture is always a good idea.
  
• Leave something to distract your pet: If you can't be home with your pup, leave the TV on or music at a high volume in an attempt to drown out the noise of fireworks going off. Toys, treats, and food are great distractions when combined with music and television. Don’t forget to check the volume and make sure it’s not too loud!
  
• Give your pet a safe place to hide: If your dog is crate trained, leave the crate accessible to them. Put it as close to the TV or music as possible without the volume being too loud. Leave blankets inside of it and over the top of it to make it feel more secure, this can also help block the lights from outside as well. If you have a cat, an open box where they can easily hide can help immensely.
  
• Try alternative methods: If you know your pet does not do well during fireworks, try talking to your vet to see what is recommended. Thundershirts or anti-anxiety vests are very popular for dogs who panic, and may be helpful to both you and your dog. Your vet may also recommend melatonin, Feliway, DAP, or other pet-safe medicine to help relax your dog. Remember to always follow your vet’s instructions and do not give your dog any medication that is not approved by your vet.
  
• Spend time with your pet: Sometimes the best remedy for a scared or stressed pet is their owner. If you can, check on them frequently throughout the fireworks or stay with them the entire time but remember to never take your pet to a fireworks show or other Fourth of July party. The safest place for your pet is at home.

Follow these tips to help your pets have a safe, stress-free Fourth of July!

If your pet goes missing over 4^th of July, please visit our Lost and Found Animals section.

If you would like to get your pet microchipped for $20 please call Animal Servicesat (559) 636-4050 x 0 to schedule an appointment.

Click here for more Pet Safety Tips for your Pets

Please check our Events Calendar for upcoming off-site adoption events.

July 20th - PetSmart in Visalia

Tulare County Animal Services is looking for Kitten Fosters!

As the weather is warming up, we are seeing more kittens who are in need of foster homes. TCASis in need of foster volunteers willing to open their homes to kittens ranging from newborn to 12 weeks old. Ideally, we want them to be in the foster home until they are old enough to be spayed/neutered (2 lbs/2 months).We provide all the necessary supplies, guidance, and support to make your fostering experience smooth and fulfilling.

If you have a warm space, some extra time, and lots of love to give, we'd love to hear from you! Here is a link to our foster application: Foster Application

If you have filled out an application in the past, please let us know if you are still interested in fostering. We want to make sure we have your correct phone number and email address. Feel free to call the shelter at (559) 636-4050 x 0 or email us at tcanimalservices@tularecounty.ca.gov.

For more information on fostering, please click here: Foster Information

Tulare County Animal Services is BUSTING AT THE SEAMS with dogs and puppies! Our kennels are all full, with pop-up crates set up in hallways, and we are at a loss for how to make room for the many animals coming through the door each day.

For a limited time (until funding runs out), ALL dogs and puppies are available for adoption for only $20! This fee includes microchip, spay/neuter, and vaccines. An $8 dog licensing fee applies to all residents who live in the unincorporated areas of Tulare County.

We are open for adoptions Monday - Saturday from 10 am - 4pm. Appointments are encouraged but are not required.If you have any questions please call us at (559) 636-4050 x 0.

Tulare County Animal Services has identified items utilized within the Shelter on a daily basis to provide a higher level of care to the animals under our care and custody.

Please click here forTulare County Animal Services “Wish List”on Amazon Smile

Donations are always welcome and greatly appreciated! Our "wish list" items are:

Click here to print a pdf version of theWish List.

Donations can be made to Animal Services via Friends of Tulare County. Animal Services has three separate donation categories.

Animal Services Adoption:

Tulare County Animal Services Division places hundreds of shelter animals in new homes with adopters who are looking for a fantastic pet. The animal adoptions program is spearheaded bystaff and volunteerswhocoordinate adoption events, sponsorships, and volunteer assistance.The adoptions program includes finding foster parents who are able to temporarily care for shelter animals at their homes, giving animals time to grow, socialize, and receive personalized attention and care in a family environment before going to their “forever home.” Moms with litters have a chance to raise their puppies and kittens away from a shelter setting, enabling them to have more contact with people, children, and other animals.

The Animal Adoption Fund offsets the costs of adoption,including spay/neuter expenses, vaccinations, microchips,and dog licensing, by sponsoring either the full or partial adoption costs. This is especially helpful with the hard-to-place animals, older animals, those needing special medical treatment, and those needing extra help finding a permanent home. Animal Services holds special adoption events throughout the year to promote adoptions and pet ownership.

Animal Services General:

Animal Services has the following responsibilities: Maintaining the health and safety of the animals in their care and custody; overseeing the dog licensing program for county residents; providing outreach and education services; and responding to public complaints, reports of vicious animals, dog bites, and animal neglect cases. Animal Services’ primary goal is to find new homes for shelter animals through adoptions, foster parents, and rescue groups.

The Animal Services General Fund is used for purchasing educational materials; covering expenses associated with providing low-cost vaccination and microchip clinics to the county’s rural communities; purchasing general supplies to improve the animals’ health; transporting animals to rescue organizations; and for various other items to enhance the program’s education and outreach efforts.

Animal Services Spay/Neuter:

Tulare County is a large county with pets in many households. For some people, accessing veterinary care or having their animals spayed or neutered and vaccinated can be difficult to afford. The Animal Services Spay/Neuter Fund provides reduced-cost spay/neuter vouchers. It also brings mobile spay/neuter clinics to small communities with no access to veterinary care and facilitates a trap, neuter, and release (TNR) program for community cats.

Tulare County Animal Services provides dog licensing services for all of the unincorporated areas of Tulare County. If your dog gets lost, a valid license will identify the dog and his/her owner and allow us to reunite lost pets with their owners. Having your dog licensed also shows that your dog has a current rabies vaccination. Plus, dog licensing is the law.

To make the process easier, Tulare County Animal Services is now accepting online payments for dog licensing. Both new and renewal dog licensing can be done online along with updating information on your dog.

If you are not sure if your address is in the city limits or county please click on the Tulare County Elections website and enter your address. If you live within the city limits of Dinuba, Exeter, Farmersville, Lindsay, Porterville, Tulare, Visalia or Woodlake, please contact your city's local dog licensing department.

You can sign up to take one of our amazing dogs out for the day and go out on an adventure! Our wonderful dogs could use a break from the shelter and as a participant there is no longer term commitment. If you are 18 years of age or older you can sign up and bring your friends or family along for the journey. Dogs are checked out Tuesday - Saturday from 9 am - 10 am depending on the time you sign up, then just bring the dog back by 2 pm that same day. We send you with all the gear you will need for your adventure together, just take a few photos and let us know how they did! You can help us promote and find homes for our amazing dogs.

Follow the link below to sign up for a date and time to pick up a dog!

Adventure Paws Sign Up

Losing a pet is a heart-wrenching situation, but there are ways to give yourself peace of mind. Dogs and cats should wear collars with identification tags; however, collars can fall off or be removed, and animals can get lost without any visible form of ID.A microchip is one of the best ways to protect your dog or cat if the pet gets lost. This tiny chip, about the size of a grain of rice that’s implanted under the skin at the shoulder blades, cannot be lost, worn out, or removed.

As of June 1, 2019, as part of the new Animal Ordinances approved by the Tulare County Board of Supervisors, all dogs in unincorporated Tulare County are now required to be implanted with a microchip and the information provided to Animal Services, to have a greater ability to reunite pets with owners and decrease impounded animals.

If your pet ever gets lost and is taken to an animal shelter or a veterinary clinic, they will scan the animal to see if he or she is microchipped. If so, the identification number appearsand you can be found in a database, because the number is linked to your information.

It’s just as important to keep your contact information up to date with the microchip company.Many times animals come into shelters with microchips; however, their owner's contact information is not always current and the animal must wait to be reunited.

Animal Services provides microchipping for only $20 by appointment only during our regular business hours.We accept cash, checks, and credit cards. Please clink on one of the links below to download the Microchip Owner Information page and bring this completed form with you to the shelter. Once your animal is microchipped, Animal Services will send the information to the microchip company to register your new microchip.

Tulare County Animal Services has a limited number of spay and neuter appointments for cats. To sign-up for an appointment, click the link below. Once you have registered your pet, you will receive further instructions and a link to our Surgery Consent form via email. If you have any questions please call us at (559) 636-4050 x 0. If the calendar is not showing any available appointments, please check back later.

If you are unable to make your scheduled appointment, please call the shelter at (559) 636-4050 x 0 or email tcanimalservices@tularecounty.ca.gov at least 24 hours prior to your scheduled appointment. Tulare County Animal Services reserves the right to refuse appointment requests for anyone who has missed an appointment. Thank you for your understanding.

Cat Spay/Neuter Appointment Link