Yolo County Animal Shelter

Location

2640 E. Gibson Road, Woodland

(Next to Yolo County Jail and Yolo County Sheriff's Office)

Hours

Tue-Fri 10am-1pm & 2pm-6pm

Sat 10am-1pm & 2pm-4pm

Closed Sun-Mon

Contact

(530) 668-5287

Catherine.neff@yolocounty.org

ycasrescue@hotmail.com

Website

http://www.yolosheriffs.com/animalser.html

Yahoo Maps link (street info is wrong but location is correct)

The Yolo County Animal Shelter is run by the Animal Services unit of Yolo County Sheriff's Department, cleaned by the Yolo County Probation Work Program and is a kill facility — if it is overcrowded, animals must be euthanized. It is not the same as the Yolo County SPCA — the SPCA is a privately-run organization with different objectives. The shelter takes in dogs, cats, horses, goats, livestock, birds, reptiles, and rodents; the shelter also provides pet adoptions, redemptions, rescues, and licensing. They investigate noise complaints, inspect kennels, pick up loose animals including livestock, respond to animal attacks, rent traps, and provide animal welfare checks — some of these services may require a fee. They also have "night drop" boxes, for people to leave their unwanted animals in, anonymously, which is preferable to abandonment on the streets. If your pet has died, you can bring its body in during their open hours or drop it off in the fenced area marked with a "Deceased Animal Deposit" sign.

It is easy to adopt an animal from the shelter and for the most part the animals held there are treated nicely. The adoption process includes a brief interview about your home environment, including questions about previous pet ownership, yard containment, etc. — if you live in a rental property, you must provide proof that your landlord will allow you to keep pets, which an Animal Services officer will verify. If your chosen pet has not been spayed or neutered, the animal will have to undergo the procedure and will be available to take home the day after the adoption once appropriate fees have been paid. New owners who have adopted a dog should contact the UC Davis Shelter Dog Project for free obedience training.

All animals over the age of four months must be licensed and vaccinated for rabies. Once your pet is vaccinated, your veterinarian will report this information to Animal Services, initiating you in the licensing system. The shelter will mail or fax you a license application [renewable annually] or you can complete the application in person at either the shelter or Davis PD. Proof of a current rabies vaccination is required for all dog licenses. Licensing fees for altered cats and dogs is $10, while unaltered licensing fees are $25.

The Animal Shelter offers low cost rabies clinics twice a month. The clinics are on the first Wednesday and third Friday of each month. The cost of the rabies vaccination is $8.00. Please call the office for an appointment. (530-668-5287)

If your pet has been impounded at the shelter, you need to show a photo ID, proof of ownership and proof of current vaccinations plus spay/neuter status. You will also have to pay fees (redemption, boarding, vaccination, license, etc.) before they will release your pet. Some Wiki animals have spent time at the Yolo County Animal Shelter.

The shelter also has a volunteer program which includes providing foster homes, cat socialization, grooming, and dog walking. Also, if you have blankets, towels, pet medications or other animal items, please consider donating them to the shelter. Contact Catherine.Neff@yolocounty.org (530)668-5287 for volunteer information.

Remember, the SPCA and the Shelter are not one in the same. The Yolo County Animal Shelter is a division of the Sheriff's Department. It runs the shelter and you can adopt directly from them with no go between. The SPCA is a volunteer organization that works to help place homeless animals and has their own rules and procedures for placing animals.

Comments:

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Why Yolo more than anywhere else? Lets face it, there aren't enough people adopting to keep no-kill shelters in the black without massive private donations. — AllisonEriksen

The shelter is currently full to capacity with rabbits. These rabbits will need homes immediately, or the shelter will euthanize to make room. Adoption fee is $30-$50 (neutered/spayed).

2006-10-09 16:19:51   The Yolo County SPCA, despite how much I hate them, gets a dozen kittens A DAY. There's just too many. It sucks, but that's life. —SandyKnowles

2006-10-09 16:23:18   So I really just gotta put in my two cents about the Yolo County SPCA. I adopted (more like bought, since they charge a gajillion dollars to 'adopt') my cat, Fizzle, from the Yolo County SPCA in 2003. Well, she was a stray and when I adopted her she was less than 2 pounds and had a minor upper respiratory infection. The girl who answered my questions and took me through the adoption bureacracy told me about the infection, and I'm not an idiot, so I wasn't concerned. They did, however, INSIST on spaying her before I could take her home. Let's recap here: she's barely 6 - 8 weeks old, she's less than 2 lbs (underweight), and she has an upper respiratory infection. WHAT IDIOT OPERATES ON A SICK ANIMAL?! But they did, and it nearly killed her. It cost me about $500 dollars in vet bills from post-op opportunistic infections before she was well again. Therefore, I have no respect for the shelter. —SandyKnowles

2006-12-30 20:28:58   I think that it's REALLY important to point out two things: 1) The animal shelter in Woodland IS NOT run by the SPCA...it is run by Yolo County. The Yolo County SPCA is a totally SEPARATE non-profit group that simply assists in the adoption process at the shelter. They RESCUE the animals that are in need of removal from the shelter to SAVE them from being euthanized. The animals are then placed with families throughout the county as fosters until a good home is found for them and they can be adopted. 2)It is not the SPCA nor the County's fault that you had to have your animal spayed or neutered prior to adoption. IT IS THE LAW THAT ALL ANIMALS BE SPAYED OR NEUTERED or they cannot be adopted out. It is to protect the animals from overpopulation and crowding the shelter. Otherwise it's pure irresponsibility on our part. —DarcyMcNie

2006-12-30 20:30:29   Be glad that you adopted from the SPCA and not the county shelter like I did. At least the SPCA pays for the spay/neuter, plus vaccines, microchip and in the case of dogs, an ear tattoo for ID purposes. I adopted a dog from the shelter and paid $100 and STILL had to pay for a spay, vaccines, microchip and antibiotics. That cost me well over $600! —DarcyMcNie

2007-03-17 14:38:43   I adopted a cat from the SPCA (not the shelter) and I was told that the cat would become antisocial. My friend petsat him at her home and she said he was the most affectionate cat and was out roaming around all the time (for 1 yr and 8 months). We realized that the cat wasn't anti-social, instead he just didn't like my dogs. In fact, he constantly sprayed in areas that my dogs like to sleep in (my clothes, bed, etc). We realized we couldn't force him to be happy so he needed a home with no dogs so we took him back to the spca. The people at the spca were so rude. First, they DEMANDED a monetary donation which defeats the whole point of calling it a donation. They said that after 2 years, you have to make a donation which is bull b/c the contract we signed never stated so. So not only did we pay $90 for a cat that we had to take back to the spca, but they wanted additional money because we took care of the cat for 2 years? It does not make sense to me at all. —TiffanyLee

2007-03-17 14:44:20   They threatened us and told us that we couldn't adopt from spca again. They made it sound like we abused the cat, tossed him in the trash and kicked him around for a bit. We were responsible owners who saw our cat in distress and made a hard but thoughtful decision to give the cat back so he can find a home where he will be Happy! They literally just pust us on a list with a bunch of animal killers and abusers! They seemed like they expected us to keep the cat in an environment where he was miserable! isn't the point of the spca to encourage people to adopt and not buy from breeders or pet stores??? Their rudeness literally DRIVES people towards pet stores! —TiffanyLee

2007-03-17 17:42:20   I adopted a 4 month old puppy from the Animal Shelter today. It cost me $15.00 for the adoption fee, $9.50 for the license, and $18.50 for the first round of vaccinations for a grand total of $48.00. I am also paying for the dog to be neutered which is $60 to a vet in Davis. So the grand total of the adoption will be $108.00. I think this is a reasonable cost since I would have to pay for vaccinations and neutering with any puppy. I see that the only real cost of the adoption from the Yolo County Shelter was the $15.00 adoption fee. —SharlaDaly

2007-03-17 22:28:53   We adopted squeaks from here last April. It cost $90 and she was spayed and had been given her first shots, and had been given antibiotics when she first came in. We got a free vet visit as well to make sure she was all right and to establish us with a vet. We got Boo from a family in Vacaville for "free" and had to pay $300 in vets visits for her shots and to get her spayed. I think it's a much better deal to go through the shelter and pay a little bit of money up front than to get a "free" animal and pay tons in vet visits. Plus, they were fine with me coming in several times before adopting and spending time with the cats before we were ready to adopt. —ElleWeber

2007-08-25 21:24:41   At a neighbor's request we took their elderly dog here to be euthanized. He had reached a point where he couldn't hear, stand or walk for more than a few seconds, control his bowels and had begun to waste away. The staff led us to a private area, gave him a couple of clean blankets to lie on and let us sit there with him until he was relaxed and we were ready to give the okay. It was a very difficult moment for all of us since we had known him since he was a pup. Also, I had never had to do this before and didn't know what to expect. The staff at the shelter were very kind and patient, explained everything that would happen, were very gentle with him and gave us as much time as we wanted with him afterward, and I really appreciated everything they did. —DukeMcAdow

2008-06-09 11:52:33   I tried to leave a stray/feral cat that I found on Sunday in their night drop boxes but ended up very confused... The instructions were to fill out an info card (which I couldn't find) and leave the animal in one of the boxes (which were locked, with no key to be found). Has anyone tried to do this before? Help? —KatherineChiu

2008-06-09 12:20:40   Our last three dogs came from the SPCA, and all three were/are fantastic dogs that I would never part from. Yes, adoption prices have gone up, but everyone has a bottom line. I couldn't imagine any of our dogs being put down because of overcrowding. We've never purchased an animal from a pet store, and never will. —jazzybatgirl

2008-06-09 18:34:29   Remember, the SPCA and the Shelter are not one in the same. The Yolo County Animal Shelter is a division of the Sheriff's Department. It runs the shelter and you can adopt directly from them with no go between. The SPCA is a volunteer organization that works to help place homeless animals and has their own rules and proceedures for placing animals. —SharlaDaly

2009-02-17 15:51:09   Unfortunately, there are just too many stray animals taken to the shelter that they can all be adopted; it's a terrible shame, but I do understand the necessity to euthanize as a last resort. Because I knew this, after my cat died in 2007, I made a point of adopting two cats from the shelter. They cost about $100 each in total. They were spayed/neutered, had their shots and a clean bill of health, and the shelter gave us a bag of food for each cat as well as the free vet visit. An SPCA representative also interviewed me and went over a questionnaire I'd filled out about pet ownership before the adoption was approved. I found out later from another visitor that he'd wanted to adopt one of the cats I adopted, but they wouldn't allow it because he intended for the cat to be kept outdoors at all times. I'm glad that they do screen prospective owners this way, in order to provide the best chance possible for the animals. Needless to say...my two adorable kitties are one of the bright spots in my life, and they'll have a home with me and my family all their lives. —amay

2009-05-11 22:42:17   I currently work for Yolo County Animal Services, and I have been there 2 years this June 2009. After reading all the posts on this place, I feel the need to update to currrent. Yes, this is a shelter that uses euthansia, however, we try ou ABSOLUTE best to place the animal elsewhere before coming to this final decision. We will find a foster home, a rescue, etc before coming to the last straw. The procedure is completely humane, it only takes a matter of seconds and is not at all painful. A simple injection and the animal simply falls into a peaceful sleep. It is definatley something we all wish we didn't have to do, but if there were more responsible pet owners out there, we wouldn't have to do any of that.

As far as the sick cat insisted on being spayed before it was well, I have never heard of that issue, although I don't doubt it. Since I have started working here and fostering kittens myself, I know they have to be at least 2lbs before any suck operation can occur. The cat has to be completely healthy, and adoptable.

I absolutely love working here, and taking care of the animals. I like to make sure eachone is comfortable, and let them know I love them. Because I do. All those poor animals looking sadly at me as I walk by their kennel, needs to know someone loves them, and as I rotate them from their kennels, I make sure I pet each one and make it happy and have it wag its tail. It's a happy feeling for me!

—animallover

2009-05-12 13:21:23   I adopted a beautiful dog there 17 years ago. A great experience the staff was very helpful. There were a few people wanting to adopt her, but we were the lucky family. Sadly we had to say goodbye to her a week ago. Mahina was an amazing dog and will be missed. —agerould