Veterans can adopt a dog or cat for free from public animal shelters in California, permitted by SB 245, also known as the Pets for Vets Act.
The Pets for Vets Act was approved in 2019 and went into effect in 2020. While November is National Veterans and Military Families Month, this promotion is available year round in the Golden State.
It requires a valid California driver’s license or ID card with a “Veteran” designation. Veterans can show this designation at a public or municipal animal shelter — like OC Animal Care — to waive standard adoption fees for dogs and cats.
Some shelters like the Irvine Animal Care Center voluntarily expand their waived adoption fees to include rabbits.
Each veteran may adopt one animal for free every six months under the Pets for Vets Act. While adoption fees are waived, there may still be additional costs like licensing or microchipping fees.
U.S. Representative Lou Correa, who represents a portion of Orange County, is looking to try and get a similar act passed nationwide — allowing more U.S. veterans to adopt a companion for free, no matter where they live.
Correa’s proposed bill would establish a grant program in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs for nonprofit organizations that provide dogs and cats as companion pets for veterans.
It’s meant to improve veterans’ mental and physical health by making it easier and cheaper to adopt a pet. The legislation was introduced to the House of Representatives on Oct. 22 and referred to the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.
“Our Veterans put their lives on the line to defend our democracy and our freedom, and too many came home carrying wounds we can’t always see,” Correa said in a statement on his website.
“They deserve peace, not a life of anxiety and depression. A dog or a cat can be a friend on the hardest days. This bill is a simple, practical way to give our Veterans that companionship and improve their quality of life.”
Correa experienced a heart attack earlier this week and is currently recovering from emergency open-heart surgery.
Organizations like Pets for Patriots and Shelter to Soldier work to pair veterans with pets from animal shelters through efforts like discounted adoption fees and financial assistance for pet supplies.
The Veterans Health Administration has also partnered with the Humane Society of the United States to create Operation Hero-Animal Bond, which matches veterans with adoptable shelter animals.
While California’s Pets for Vets Act helps provide companions for those who served in the U.S. military, it can also give pets a chance at a new life outside animal shelters that are often overcrowded.
Orange County shelters like OC Animal Care and the Laguna Beach Animal Shelter support the act in California, which usually gains more traction around Veteran’s Day.
“The residents of Laguna Beach appreciate the sacrifice our Veterans made for this great country and Pets for Veterans is a creative program to show our gratitude for their service and sacrifice,” Laguna Beach Police Chief Jeff Calvert said in a statement about the program. “Our goal is to pair an animal with Veterans across Orange County to provide companionship and help ease the transition back into civilian life.”
The VA’s National Center for PTSD has found that 23% of Veterans using VA care have had post-traumatic stress disorder at some point in their lives. Researchers have also found that animal companionship improves both the physical and mental health of veterans.
The Pets for Vets Act is separate from Pets for Vets, Inc., a nonprofit organization that works to pair animals from rescues and shelters with veterans.
OC Animal Care, the county-run animal shelter in Tustin, is open daily for adoption visits from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. During this time, visitors can freely walk through the kennel areas to view the available animals.
To schedule an adoption visit, call the main line at (714) 935-6848 and mention the animal ID number for any specific pet you might be interested in.
For more information about OC Animal Care click here.
Visit the pet adoptions page to see more available pets.
