Animal services are being extended to the Lompoc shelter location starting Friday when pet owners can again conduct license and renewal transactions and access other vital pet services during weekend hours.
The Santa Barbara County Animal Services Lompoc shelter will be open Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., offering lost pet reunification, pet adoption counseling, microchipping and volunteer opportunities, among other services.
Director Sarah Aguilar explained that after almost three years since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, "our community is still reeling from the economic impacts."
Now more than ever, Aguilar said, the public needs access to animal services outside of traditional hours. The service expansion efforts will begin with Phase I, focusing on increasing accessibility to pet services through on-site technology operations.
“We have created kiosks so pet owners and those who want to bring pets into their family, can use our computers to access the animal services website," Aguilar said.
Team members will be available during the weekend to assist with finding a new pet, lost pets and learning about foster and volunteer opportunities.
"We know that not everyone has regular access to the internet, and we don’t want that to be a barrier to bringing a pet into your home,” she said.
According to Aguilar, future plans for the Lompoc site include resuming pet housing at the shelter and hosting adoption events.
"We know that the Lompoc community values pets and wants to help," she said. "We are excited to rebuild the volunteer program and expand our foster program."
In the meantime, hours of operation at both Santa Maria and Santa Barbara shelters remain as Monday through Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Lisa André covers lifestyle and local news for Santa Ynez Valley News and Lompoc Record, editions of the Santa Maria Times.
