The Irvine Animal Care Center was a zoo on Sunday as hundreds of dogs, cats, birds and other hopeful pets waited for the chance to find a forever family during the massive adoption event the city has hosted annually for 16 years.
By the time next year’s Super Pet Adoption comes around, officials hope the animal care center that hasn’t seen significant renovations in decades might be starting to look a little different. A plan to add a new animal clinic and visitors lobby, and to renovate the existing facilities, is expected to kick off construction in early 2023.
One-year-old Sera Hsieh, with parents Jimmy and Kathryn, reacts after Stoli, a golden retriever, gives her a quick kiss during the Irvine Animal Care Center Pet Adoption event on Sunday, June 5, 2022. The dog belongs to a rescue volunteer with the Golden Retriever Club of Greater Los Angeles. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
One-year-old Sera Hsieh, with parents Jimmy and Kathryn, reacts after Stoli, a golden retriever, gives her a quick kiss during the Irvine Animal Care Center Pet Adoption event on Sunday, June 5, 2022. The dog belongs to a rescue volunteer with the Golden Retriever Club of Greater Los Angeles. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Simba, an 11-year-old Miligold Macaw, will be available for adoption from the Avian Underdogs Rescue Association in Lake Forest after undergoing surgery. After that he will need special care for health issues, said Maryanne Huynh who is fostering the animal. They were at the Irvine Animal Care Center Pet Adoption event on Sunday, June 5, 2022. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Shyla’s blue radiant blue eyes shine bright as she awaits adoption during the Irvine Animal Care Center Pet Adoption event on Sunday, June 5, 2022. The 3-year-old shepherd mix is described by Care Center staff as a “go-getter.”(Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Kittens use their cuteness to help get adopted from Carma, Compassionate Animal Rescue for Medical Aid, during the Irvine Animal Care Center Pet Adoption event on Sunday, June 5, 2022. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Newport Beach Animal Shelter volunteer, Kim Hyun, holds Akia, a 4-year-old poodle mix, during the Irvine Animal Care Center Pet Adoption event on Sunday, June 5, 2022. The dog has one eye and is completely blind but is otherwise healthy and sweet. He needs a one-story house without a pool. “He’s not going to go on marathon walks but he’s good with short walks,” Valerie Schomburg, a supervisor with Newport Beach Animal Control, said. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Rescued birds, including pigeons and doves, are available for adoption from the Avian Underdogs Rescue Association in Lake Forest. Volunteer Patricia Snodgrass says pigeons make the best family pets. “They bond and they never bite,” she said while holding one during the Irvine Animal Care Center Pet Adoption event on Sunday, June 5, 2022. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Cooper, a shepherd mix greets owner Wendy Sorensen after she left him with her husband, Steve, in background, for a few minutes at the Irvine Animal Care Center Pet Adoption event on Sunday, June 5, 2022. The couple got Cooper from the Center four years ago. “He’s the best dog I ever owned. He’s a 75-pound lap dog,” Steve Sorensen said.(Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Daniel Chen carries his 4-year-old daughter, Krisell, over his shoulders as he walks around the Irvine Animal Care Center Pet Adoption event on Sunday, June 5, 2022. He said his daughter wants a cat and his 9-year-old son wants a dog. He was going to play it safe and think things through before taking the plunge, he said.(Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Abby Edmunds is all smiles as she holds two new furry additions to her family on Sunday, June 5, 2022. She and her husband, Frank, adopted the kittens from Carma, Compassionate Animal Rescue for Medical Aid, during the Irvine Animal Care Center Pet Adoption event on (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
I.C.A.R.E. Dog Rescue volunteer Grace Collings, holds Trigger, who’s looking for a home during the Irvine Animal Care Center Pet Adoption event on Sunday, June 5, 2022. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
I.C.A.R.E. Dog Rescue volunteer, Sherry Reeves, holds Toaster Strudel during the Irvine Animal Care Center Pet Adoption event on Sunday, June 5, 2022. The Corona rescue has many dogs are available. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Rescued birds, including pigeons and doves, are available for adoption from the Avian Underdogs Rescue Association in Lake Forest. Volunteer Patricia Snodgrass says pigeons, make the best family pets. “They bond and they never bite.” She was at the Irvine Animal Care Center Pet Adoption event on Sunday, June 5, 2022. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Looking very Yoda-esque with her big ears, Meredith, a 4-month-old terrier mix, awaits the perfect family to adopt her during the Irvine Animal Care Center Pet Adoption event on
Sunday, June 5, 2022. She is one of many dogs available from the I.C.A.R.E. Dog Rescue in Corona. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
The long-planned project for the city’s aging shelter is still in its design planning phase. But city officials could go out to bid for construction contracts in the fall, after the City Council approves the the final plan, and “then once a responsible construction firm is selected, then we’re going to start that process,” said Irvine Animal Care Center manager Mike Cribbin.
In 2018, city leaders decided on a plan to demolish the entire 20,000-square-foot facility and build it up anew, saying at the time the cost difference between upgrading the existing center and putting in new construction was negligible, while building offered more flexibility.
They changed direction in 2019, Cribbin said, deciding to do a mix of existing building renovations and adding some more square footage. After evaluating the original project plan, “we felt that a lot of the existing buildings could be renovated and that it was a more favorable cost-benefit decision,” he said.
The total project is still budgeted at $25.9 million, but the new plan also adds upgrades to a nearby city operations facility, including reconfiguring a parking lot and adding solar panels, Cribbin said.
“Similar to Animal Care, that building has not been updated materially in close to 40 years,” he said.
A walking trail connecting Oak Canyon to an existing path will also be added so the animals at the facility can be taken for a walk that loops around the block.
With new construction consisting of a modernized animal clinic and large welcoming lobby, the footprint of the facility would increase by almost 10,000 square feet. Plans calls for remodeling parts of four existing buildings, including updating cat and rabbit adoption areas, and adding air conditioning, sound control enhancements and larger kennels in two buildings that house dogs, according to a project update presented recently to Irvine’s Community Services Committee.
The care center’s 1980s construction hasn’t seen much in the way of “substantial renovation” over the years, Cribbin said, noting the vet clinic especially is “extremely dated.”
“Having a modern clinic in a completely different setting is a game changer for us,” he said, adding that updated kennels with A/C, along with a new entryway to better serve customers, are both exciting new features.
Construction on the project is expected to take two years and be completed in phases, likely starting with the new builds, he said. The shelter will stay open during the work.
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