Animal Intake Policies

Kern County Animal Services will only accept animals from residents who live in the unincorporated areas of Kern County (including the unincorporated municipalities of Frazier Park, Lamont, Mojave, Oildale, and Rosamond) or in the contracted cities of Arvin and Tehachapi. Residents of other incorporated cities will have to go through their city agency for this service.

Which agency will accept my animals?

Taking An Animal To The Shelter

It is your residence address, NOT the location where the animal was found, that determines which agency will accept the animal.
Are you a county resident? Click here to find out!
If you are not an unincorporated Kern County resident, check this list for other local jurisdictions and agencies.
KCAS is unable to accept owner surrenders at this time. (More information below.)
KCAS does not accept stray, lost, or feral cats.
If the animal is a feral cat, see additional information on the Feral Cat Assistance page.
If you've found a litter of kittens, check the info here - Found Kittens.

Residents from unincorporated Kern County can bring stray, lost, or abandoned animals to either of our shelter locations:

KCAS - BAKERSFIELD
3951 Fruitvale Avenue
Bakersfield, CA 93308
Phone: (661) 868-7100
FAX: (661) 868-7101
Intake and Adoption hours: Monday through Saturday 10am - 4pm, Wednesdays 2pm - 7pm, excluding County Holidays
Email: animalservices@kerncounty.com

KCAS - LAKE ISABELLA
14891 Highway 178
Lake Isabella, CA 93240
Phone: (760) 378-1131

*Intake hours are 10am - 4pm Monday through Friday, 2pm - 7pm Wednesdays, excluding County Holidays.

* Click here to SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT to bring a stray animal to the Kern County Animal Services shelter at 3951 Fruitvale Avenue in Bakersfield.

* We strongly recommend calling the shelter first to confirm that there is space to house the animal.

* When bringing in an animal:

Dogs must be on a leash or in a cage/carrier
Cats must be in a carrier
Aggressive dogs must be muzzled

* Found animals will be added to our Lost Animals Search as soon as possible. The animals will be held for 3 business days to allow the owner to claim their pet. If they are not claimed within this period, and are deemed adoptable, they will be added to the Adoptable Pets Search.

Animal Intake Fees

Good Samaritan Fees
There is no fee for turning in a stray, lost, or abandoned animal that does not belong to you.

Owner Surrender Fees
The shelter is not accepting owner surrenders at this time.

Deceased Pet
Delivered to the shelter: $10

Commercial Turn-in Fees
Delivered to the shelter: $15 per animal

Surrendering Your Pet

Kern County Animal Services is unable to accept owner surrendered pets. We encourage pet owners to take advantage of the Home To Home website as a tool to rehome your pet, as well as the Rehome site by Adopt-A-Pet.

Post your pet on Social Media platforms to engage family and friends for a possible solution.
Check with the Animal Shelter, Rescue, or breeder you originally obtained your pet from. Many agencies will take a pet back that was adopted from them
Reach out to pet rescues and Animal Shelters in the surrounding areas to determine if any have space to accept your pet.
Only consider rehoming your pet as an absolute last resort. Often times pet owners are faced with hardships that ease up days or weeks later. It may be only a short period of time that you and your pet need help.
The Humane Society of the United States has informational resources available online regarding rehoming your pet and separation anxiety
If pet food is a factor, please make use of the Bakersfield Pet Food Pantry You might also find more information locally by contacting 211 in your area for pet food banks.
If behavior is an issue with your pet, consider seeking training guidance. GoodPup offers virtual options.
DO NOT LEAVE YOUR PET BEHIND. DO NOT LEAVE YOUR PET IN FRONT OF A SHELTER. Time and time again, animals are left in front of shelters in the hopes that the good people that work in Animal Welfare will take them and find them homes. Time and time again these animals are severely injured or killed in traffic, because they were frightened. Please use these resources, and please speak with our staff directly to give us a chance to help you before you abandon your pet.
Before you decide to rehome your pet, there are over 30 common and correctable behavior issues that pet owners often deal with. Most of these challenges can be overcome. Sometimes the help and guidance you need is only a click away.

Rehoming Resources

How To Successfully Rehome A Pet

Rehoming Your Dog in CA – Rehome by Adopt-a-Pet.com (adoptapet.com)

Tips for Rehoming Your Pet - East Bay SPCA

Rehoming your pet responsibly and humanely (petsforpatriots.org)

How to Rehome a Dog: Tips & Advice for Finding a Good Home | Petfinder

Rehoming a dog? Here's what you need to know. | ManyPets

LOCAL ANIMAL RESCUE ORGANIZATIONS

If You've Found A Pet

*If the pet does not have an ID tag, or if the information on the tag does not lead you to the pet's owner, have them scanned for a microchip ASAP! Local animal shelters, veterinarians, animal rescue organizations, some pet supply stores, and some members of the animal rescue community have the ability to scan lost pets for microchips for free.

*Take a picture of the pet and post on as many websites/apps/pages as you can. (See list below) When posting a lost pet, avoid providing information that only the rightful owner would have or know. If the dog has a collar, remove it for the photo. The rightful owner will be able to describe the collar. If it's a male dog, don't disclose if he has been neutered or not. The rightful owner will know. These types of details can be critical in determining who a pet's rightful owner is.

*File an online Found Animal Report here - Found Animal Report

*Turning an animal in to one of our local shelters should be the last thing you do. Unfortunately, many pets that are taken to our local municipal shelters can become at risk of euthanasia. However, if you do take an animal to the shelter, you have the option to put your name down as their "last resort". As a last resort, you will be called if the animal you turned in is at risk of being euthanized.

FYI - The SPCA on Gibson Street is a not a municipal animal shelter. It is an animal rescue organization. They are not required to accept lost animals. They have the option to turn an animal away for a variety of reasons. The city shelter on South Mount Vernon, and the county shelter on Fruitvale, do not have this option. They are required to accept stray animals, even if they do not have room for them. Which is why animals taken to our municipal shelters can become at risk of euthanasia.

*Regardless of where the pet was found, if you take it to a shelter, it must be the appropriate shelter based on YOUR address. If the cops in your neighborhood drive black & white cars you're probably a city resident. If the cops in your neighborhood drive white cars you're probably a county resident. TAKING AN ANIMAL TO A SHELTER IS BETTER THAN LEAVING THEM ON THE STREETS! An animal left on the streets is in much greater danger than an animal in a shelter. An animal in a shelter has food, water, safety, and at least a chance to live a long life. An animal left on the streets doesn't have any of those things. Speeding cars, cruel people, other animals, starvation, or disease will kill them sooner or later. Usually sooner.

*If you would like to adopt the pet as your own, the law says you must first make a legitimate attempt to reunite the pet with its rightful owner. Check for a microchip, post flyers and posters in the area the animal was found, post on social media pages and/or websites. Also, file a Found Animal Report as mentioned above. This is very helpful for owners looking for their pet since NOT ALL PET OWNERS ARE ONLINE OR USE SOCIAL MEDIA. If you are still in possession of the pet after 15 days, and the pet's owner has not come forward, you are considered to be the pet's new owner.

* KCAS does not accept stray, lost, or feral cats. If the animal is a feral cat, see additional information on the Feral Cat Assistance page. If you've found a litter of kittens, check the info here - Found Kittens.

TO CONTACT AN ANIMAL CONTROL OFFICER -

Kern County Animal Services - 661-868-7100 (Weekdays 8am-5pm)

Bakersfield Animal Control - 661-326-3436 (7 days a week, until 4:30pm)

AFTER HOURS ANIMAL CONTROL EMERGENCIES -

Kern County Animal Services - (661) 868-7100 (Option #2)

Bakersfield Police Dept. - 661-327-7111

WEBSITES/MOBILE APPS

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