Every week, a headcount of the dogs, cats, roosters, rabbits and the occasional macaw hoping to trade a kennel for a couch somewhere around the Monterey Bay.
This week, 257 animals are listed for adoption across five shelters and rescues in Monterey and Santa Cruz counties — 14 more than last week. The good news is buried in the math: a lot of animals went home. The other news is that even more showed up.
That’s 91 dogs, 102 cats, and 64 others — a category that this week includes roosters, chickens and bantams by the dozen, Francine the Yorkshire pig, rabbits (one of them named Jasmine the Flemish Giant, who is five months old and therefore not yet giant), pet rats, hamsters, turtles, an iguana, a bearded dragon, a pigeon, two ducks, a Thoroughbred, and Lucy the 14-year-old macaw, who is still waiting.
The rooster situation: still a situation.
The Count
- SPCA Monterey County — 83 (14 dogs, 22 cats, 47 others)
- Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter — 68 (26 dogs, 29 cats, 13 others)
- Monterey County Animal Services (Hitchcock Road, Salinas) — 46 (29 dogs, 13 cats, 4 others)
- Santa Cruz SPCA — 31 (11 dogs, 20 cats)
- Animal Friends Rescue Project — 29 (11 dogs, 18 cats)
Counts come from each organization’s public adoption listings as of Monday, November 2. Listings change daily — some of these pets may already be home by the time you read this, which is exactly the point.
Who Went Home
Of the 243 animals listed last week, 73 have since left the listings — found homes, as far as we can tell, though a few may have been transferred or moved to another program. Meanwhile, 87 newcomers took their places.
- Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter — 41, including dogs Timber, Tucker and Dozer, plus cats Spaghetti and Acorn
- Monterey County Animal Services — 13, including dogs Axel and Raven and cat Peaches
- SPCA Monterey County — 12, including Peso the ball python from last week’s “meet” list, plus Frankenweenie and Hocus Pocus
- Santa Cruz SPCA — 5: Nemo, Oreo, Gladys, Murdoch and Ramsey
- Animal Friends Rescue Project — 2: Piper and Fig
Peso, wherever you landed: we hope the heat lamp is to your liking.
A Few We’d Like You to Meet
Dom — Monterey County Animal Services. An 8-year-old pit bull and American bulldog mix, brought to the shelter on May 5 and still on the list. This is his third week in this space. We said we’d keep going until somebody takes the hint. We are keeping going.
Sir Quacks-A-Lot — Monterey County Animal Services. A duck, brought to the shelter October 10. Age unknown. Name: Appropriate. We have nothing to add; the name has done all the work.
Angelica — Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter. A 14-year-old domestic shorthair, one of the oldest cats at the county shelter. Fourteen years in, she has presumably seen it all, and is willing to see your lap too.
Dovey — Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter. An 11-year-old pit bull and boxer mix, currently listed as staying in foster care. Eleven is a fine age for a dog. It is also a fine age for a couch.
Lucy — SPCA Monterey County. A macaw, 14 years and 2 months old. Still here, still listed, still the most colorful thing on anyone’s adoption page. Macaws are a long-term commitment, so plan accordingly — and maybe update your will.
Rupert — SPCA Monterey County. A 7-year-old Thoroughbred horse. Not a lap pet. Strongly not a lap pet. But if you have the pasture, he has the time.
Kimber — Santa Cruz SPCA. A Siberian husky mix, 8 years and 3 months old, and the oldest dog on the Santa Cruz SPCA’s list. Seniority has its privileges. A home should be one of them.
Minerva — Animal Friends Rescue Project. A 7-year-old domestic longhair, listed as a long-term resident and living in a foster home. Named for the goddess of wisdom, which sets a high bar for the rest of the household.
Where to Find Them
- Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter — 1001 Rodriguez St., Santa Cruz (plus a Watsonville location). Open daily 11 a.m.–6 p.m.; adoptions end at 5.
- SPCA Monterey County — 1002 Monterey-Salinas Highway, across from Laguna Seca. Adoption Center open daily 11 a.m.–5 p.m.
- Monterey County Animal Services — 160 Hitchcock Road, Salinas. Adoptions are in person, first come, first served.
- Animal Friends Rescue Project — most of its animals live in foster homes; start with the adoption pages online. (AFRP is a KRML supporter.)
- Santa Cruz SPCA — 2601 Chanticleer Ave., Santa Cruz. Browsing hours Tuesday–Sunday, 11 a.m.–5 p.m.
Can’t adopt right now? Fostering, volunteering, and sharing this post all count. So does telling the duck person in your life about Sir Quacks-A-Lot.
Paws on the Bay is KRML’s weekly roundup of adoptable animals around the Monterey Bay. Next week: who went home, and who’s still waiting.