Photo By Cpl. Alison Dostie | Nozey, a cat at the Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton Animal Shelter, poses for a photo...... read more read more
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The Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton Animal Shelter is aboard the base to protect animal owners, non-owners and domestic animals. The shelter also protects animals from abuse and neglect, rescues sick or injured animals, and places qualified animals in their adoption program.
They work alongside the Security and Emergency Service Battalion to enforce base regulations involving the ownership of domestic animals.
“The coronavirus has affected us quite a bit,” said Elena Manos, a domestic animal control technician with the Camp Pendleton Animal Shelter. “We would normally be out patrolling and ensuring people are complying with base regulations, but our facility is closed.”
Complying with Health Protection Condition Level Charlie, the animal shelter has reduced their staff and now work in shifts. The shelter operations have stopped, at the moment all animal adoptions have been halted although the shelter is still taking animals in. Animal control missions are still carried out, and the technicians are responding to calls 24/7. They continue to conduct investigations of abuse and neglect and also oversee welfare checks on the base. All of these tasks are deemed mission essential and are carried out, taking as much care as possible to prevent the spread of disease.
As a result of COVID-19 and the health protection level, the shelter also had to stop their volunteer program.
“We have a volunteer program here and it gets a lot of Marines interested,” said Manos. “It's a win-win, the service members get to connect with the animals and the animals get a positive interaction.”
The volunteers with the animal shelter are usually a huge asset. A lot of the time animals have a past of neglect and having the volunteers there to walk the dogs or pet the cats, the animals are now getting the opportunity to trust humans. Service members might miss a pet back home or just need a break, and because the animals can be calming and healing, they get that opportunity at the animal shelter.
While the shelter is closed for the foreseeable future, they look forward to once again providing service members the opportunity to interact and adopt animals in need.
“Thank you to the base community for understanding we are closed,” said Manos. “We look forward to welcoming everyone back.”
| Date Taken: | 04.30.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 04.30.2020 21:06 |
| Story ID: | 368948 |
| Location: | CAMP PENDLETON, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 109 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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