Orange County Animal Care is gearing up to open its shelter doors for more people looking to adopt a new pet.

It comes as activists spent years calling for more walk-in availability and after the shelter’s director stepped down last year.

County officials announced Thursday that the shelter will open kennels for walkthroughs three hours each day starting Jan. 17.

Visitors can schedule adoption visits from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day or walk through the kennel areas during daily viewing hours from 2 to 5 p.m.

“We’re excited to promote a balance between smart, effective programming that has proven to increase the permanent placement of shelter pets, with that of community interest in viewing the animals at OC Animal Care,” OC Supervisor Donald Wagner said in a statement released Thursday.

During viewing hours, visitors can walk through the dog kennels and cat rooms unescorted for the first time since the pandemic hit in early 2020.

Sharon Logan, who works in animal rescuing and sued OC Animal Care in 2015 over euthanasia rates, said the kennels should also be open during the weekends and at least one evening every week for people who work during the day.

“OC Animal Care’s hybrid model should look something like this: a combination of animal shelter and community services platform,” Logan said. “Sheltering for animals that are lost, and a facility with programs to help keep animals in their home.”

She also said three hours a day is a “good start” but the kennels should be opened longer.

Earlier this month, state Senator Janet Nguyen wrote an OC Register opinion article criticizing the state of the shelter, which she called a “disaster.”

Nguyen represents the 36th District, which includes portions of Orange County and Los Angeles. She previously served on the Orange County Board of Supervisors.

Michael Mavrovouniotis, an Irvine resident and former shelter volunteer, said Nguyen played a big role in pushing shelter leaders to open the kennels for more walk-through hours.

“[Nguyen] spoke loud and clear for the welfare of OC companion animals and pressed for action,” Mavrovouniotis said. “I hope she’ll continue working on this.”

Nguyen also pointed toward a scathing Grand Jury report released last summer that raised alarm bells about kill rates and an overpopulation issue at the shelter – which jurors said has only been made worse due to a lack of adequate walk-in adoption services.

[Read: Grand Jury: OC Animal Shelter Needs Updated Policies to Stop Killing More Animals]

At the beginning of the pandemic, OC Animal Care suspended most of its walk-in services and introduced an appointment model for most operations.

But the kennel areas remained mostly off-limits for residents to walk through as time passed, meeting concerns that decreased visitors meant fewer adoptions and more euthanasia.

Shortly after the grand jury report was released last summer, shelter leaders announced they would open the kennels to the public for five hours each week — two and half hours on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

That program ended in November when one of the old hangars at the former Marine Corps Air Station Tustin burned down. 

[Read: Orange County Animal Shelter Reopens Kennels For Five Hours Each Week]

But that change was largely met with criticism that the hours were too limited and still didn’t allow visitors to see all the animals housed inside the shelter.

County officials originally disputed the grand jury report, disagreeing with most of the findings.

In November, county supervisors narrowly approved a response to the grand jury’s report, disagreeing with 14 of the 17 findings and declining half of the recommended actions.

[Read: OC Officials Dispute Scathing Grand Jury Report on Increased Kill Rates at Animal Shelter]

A petition created in July 2022 is still circulating, urging the shelter to entirely reopen the shelter’s kennel areas to public view without any restrictions. It has now surpassed 24,000 signatures.

“It’s a significant improvement. The shelter should strive to make the maximum number of dogs viewable,” Mavrovouniotis said. “That will boost adoptions. It’s good for the animals, the staff, and OC taxpayers.”

Angelina Hicks is a Voice of OC Tracy Wood Reporting Fellow. Contact her at ahicks@voiceofoc.org or on Twitter @angelinahicks13.