Dogs Adoption Orange County CA

Interested in Rescuing an Orange County Pet?

Pet adoption is an exciting and rewarding event, one that benefits you, your family and the community! We at IVS are huge supporters of pet adoption, so much so that we provide a free wellness exam for all adopted pets!

There are so many reasons to adopt a dog or cat:

• You’ll save a life! There are over 2.7 million adoptable dogs and cats euthanized each year.
• You’ll get a healthy pet! Most shelters provide initial and ongoing care to the dogs and cats they house. Further, IVS will provide an additional exam free of charge!
• You’ll save money! Adopting through a shelter is typically inexpensive, and many pets come already spayed or neutered.
• You’ll feel better! Pet ownership has been proven to positively affect our physical and emotional health.

IVS Offers Free Wellness Exam for Adopted Pets

To show our gratitude for your act of service and love, we’d like to provide you with a free initial exam for your adopted pet.
Your initial appointment includes:
– Complete physical exam
– Behavior exam
– Training and household introduction information
– Bloodwork, vaccine update if needed*

*please note the initial exam is free of charge, however bloodwork or additional services recommended by our Vets and approved during the visit shall be paid by the client.

Schedule Your Free Adopted Pet Visit at our University Park or Northpark locations.

The Third Chance program at the Irvine Animal Shelter transfers animals from overcrowded Southern California shelters where they may have limited chances for adoption, and brings them to the Irvine Animal Care Center Shelter (IACC) for a chance at finding their forever home. Since these animals come from outside of Irvine, their care is funded entirely through donations. Why the name Third Chance? Their first home was their first chance, the shelter they were brought to was their second chance, and the IACC is their Third Chance. Over the years, the program has expanded to include rescuing animals from hoarders and disaster situations. Since inception 10 years ago, IACC has accepted more than 5, 000 animals into the Third Chance for Pets program. To learn how you can donate or how you can adopt, please visit the IACC website.

Meet Taro

Here is my ‘poster’ that was at the shelter when I was visited on July 18th, my future home person was bringing some blankets as a donation. She wandered a little and kept looking at me, though you couldn’t see me very well — as you can see my hair was overgrown and matted! I was 12 lbs. and estimated to be 1 year and 1 month old. The shelter thought I was healthy, but my future owner seemed a little nervous about my skinny frame (you could feel my entire spine), but I was pretty happy and optimistic with clear eyes and a sweet disposition.

Meet Jed

Jed lived with a family that had small children and other dogs until he was five to six months old. At that time, his original family gave him up and placed him in a shelter. After three or four weeks Irvine rescued him and he spent another ten days there. He had giardia and was not yet house broken. He looked so distressed on the website picture that my husband and I had crossed him off of the list of dogs we wanted to see. We thought he looked crazy. The day we went to the Irvine Care Center we looked at so many beautiful dogs and were not thinking of looking at Jed at all. He, however, was determined to change our minds. Every time we passed his cage, Jed jumped two feet in the air. He is really a great jumper and because of his enthusiasm, we decided to meet him. Once he was out of his cage, he had our hearts. He is the sweetest and most affectionate dog and his enthusiasm is infectious.

Meet Lucky

When I went to the Irvine Animal Shelter, I looked at many dogs….but I just was not really connecting very well with any of them. I had recently lost my beloved Papillion of fifteen years, and my heart was feeling very broken. But then, I came upon a very wistful, intelligent and sensitive looking dog, with the “Third Chance” sign. He had no hair above his nose, he did not bark or hop up to get my attention when I went past his cage. He just looked up at me with a soft gaze and then he walked away. I thought to myself, “I think no-one will want him because he has no hair above his nose”, so i asked to see him. At that time, his name was “snuggle” and he was a beautiful snuggler. He seemed so smart and affectionate and playful. It was love at first sight.

Meet Emily

It was day before Christmas. I was going to the Irvine Animal Care Center “just” to donate some sheets and towels and then drive to Phoenix to spend Christmas with friends and family. It had been six month since I lost my beloved 15 year old chow lab mix and I was not ready for another dog yet, but I had time to stroll through the dog center before the drive home. Then I saw Emily, a shy reserved Siberian Huskey German Shepherd mix. She is so beautiful, I thought, and I hope that she finds a home for Christmas. I drove to Phoenix and enjoyed the holidays, but did not stop thinking about her. She did not get adopted at Christmas or in January or February. I kept going to the web site and she was on the video and still there, a third chance dog that had been looking for a home since September.

Meet Maurice

After losing our fat little cat Elvis to lymphoma this summer, we were looking to adopt a new cat. Our home was feeling a little empty without a cat lurking about. We specifically wanted to rescue a third chance cat, a cat that really needed a new home.

At the Irvine Animal Shelter we noticed a very shy and timid cat named Maurice. We were told that he had been in a shelter environment for the past 8 months and was rescued from another shelter in Baldwin Park. His previous shelter was a kill shelter and his time was running up. Although he was very shy and a little scared, we had a sense that he had potential if put in the right environment…