Animal shelters, overburdened with abandoned pets from SoCal wildfires, are grateful for support

AGOURA HILLS, Calif. (KABC) -- Thousands of animals have been displaced due to the ongoing wildfires here in Southern California, and officials say they have been amazed by the community support.

"We've had donations coming in," says Tamy Rieder, a volunteer at the Agoura Animal Care Center.

"Our volunteers and community volunteers come in and sort all those donations, making it like a store. So, people who were evacuated and lost property, belongings and everything, can come and pick up what they need."

LA County officials say they've taken in close to 400 animals since the start of the fires and placed them at various evacuation centers, most of them being larger animals like horses and ponies. Those were evacuated to the Pierce Equestrian Center.

The Agoura Hills Animal Care Center has taken in over 100 smaller animals like cats, dogs, snakes, and tortoises.

"The response from the community has been amazing." Leah Cohen, Communications Director for LA County Animal Control, stated the agency is incredibly grateful.

"They're keeping our staff well fed. They're making sure that we have everything we need for the animals and the highlight has been we have had over 600 adoptions and rescues since the start of the fires, which has really eased the burden on our care centers and enabled our staff to focus just on taking care of displaced pets."

Officials say they will continue to accept donations, but what they really need right now are people to adopt these wonderful animals.

They will extend any excess donations to families in need.

If you are looking for a pet lost in the SoCal wildfires, call LA Animal Services at (213) 270-8155 or Pasadena Humane at (626) 577- 3752.