Impounded animals are taken to Irvine

The city of Costa Mesa began taking impounded animals to the Irvine Animal Care Center on Saturday, rather than the Orange County Humane Society in Huntington Beach, after the city’s contract with the humane society shelter expired Dec. 30, Costa Mesa City Manager Allan Roeder said Monday.

City officials received a number of e-mails alleging that the humane society was closing and would euthanize its animals, Roeder said — a rumor that the shelter’s director said is false. The Huntington Beach facility was scheduled to start renovations Monday but was not expected to close.

“We knew that they were going to be downsized. We were concerned about their ability to maintain their contract with us,” Roeder said.

City officials planned to seek proposals for a new contract, so they decided an interim arrangement with Irvine — which could last up to 90 days — would take pressure off the Orange County Humane Society during renovations, Roeder said.

On Monday, the “no-kill” shelter in Huntington Beach was open to those wanting to adopt an animal or ask for neutering or vaccinations. Most of the kennels were empty, with six dogs and some cats waiting to be adopted at the shelter.

Most animals were adopted when the shelter had a Christmas sale with 50% discounts, said a volunteer who refused to identify herself. More than 15 animals were adopted during the Jan. 6 weekend, most likely by people who believed the e-mails, according to the volunteer.

One lucky Siamese cat was adopted by Laguna Woods resident Jackie Geith on Monday. Geith came to adopt an animal after reading e-mailed rumors about animals at the shelter being euthanized. She was waiting to get her cat groomed and vaccinated before taking him home.

“There was another man who walked in asking about animals being put to sleep because the shelter is renovating,” she said. “They [the shelter] are not getting rid of the animals.”

In 2005, Costa Mesa police investigated the Huntington Beach shelter after former volunteers said animals there weren’t cared for properly.

In that investigation, although there were some code violations, Roeder said, “we did not find evidence of inhumane treatment of the animals that were sheltered there.”