City of Victorville Opens First-Ever Permanent Animal Care & Adoption Center
Post Date:12/19/2024
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 19, 2024
VICTORVILLE, Calif. — Today, the City of Victorville announced the opening of its first-ever permanent Animal Care and Adoption Center located at the site of the former Goodwill High School campus, 16648 E St. in Old Town Victorville. The City will use the 15,000-square-foot-facility, leased from the Victor Valley Union High School District, to house and care for animals, serve community members, provide pet adoption services, and host education fairs and vaccine, microchip, and licensing events.
In this first phase of the center upgrade, the City plans to house a minimum of 135 dogs and 40 cats as well as reptiles with an additional 200 kennels planned. The new Animal Care and Adoption Center will also feature two outdoor gated areas containing exercise equipment to provide sheltered animals with enrichment exercise under the care of the Animal Services Team, which aids in keeping adoptable animals healthy.
Victorville’s Animal Services Team also cares for pets being housed at the Victorville Wellness Center, a temporary housing and recuperative care center located just a few blocks away, offering efficiencies of scale.
In May 2023, the City received just 30 days' notice that its shelter operator of over 25 years would cease operations.
“Our City Staff jumped into action to establish temporary pet adoption and sheltering services in two existing City facilities, then they set about the arduous task of retrofitting a school campus to serve an entirely new purpose,” said Victorville Mayor Liz Becerra. “Thanks to the hard work of Staff from across our many City departments, the result is a larger, permanent facility better equipped to serve our community. Kudos to the entire team for making this happen in record time.”
The site of Victorville’s new Animal Care & Adoption Center was originally the campus of Eva Dell Elementary in 1926. It remained an elementary school through the 70’s when it became High Desert High School and later renamed Goodwill High School in 1989 in honor of Jeff Goodwill, the former principal of the site and former Mayor of Victorville.
City Staff updated interior walls, the heating and cooling system, and flooring. They resurfaced the parking lot, added communication systems, made ADA improvements, updated the electrical, and are replacing the roof on the main building. According to City officials, the most arduous task has been adding the plumbing needed to support the animal kennels.
Future upgrades to the site will include the addition of two large metal buildings for an additional 200 kennels, a vet suite so that more complex vet services can be handled onsite, a new livestock area, and improvements for added access to the facility from First Street.
The City also plans to add a forward-facing admin building and rainbow bridge to support residents overcoming the loss of a beloved pet, a Trap Neuter and Release Program to control the feral cat population, and a citizen volunteer program.
“I couldn’t be prouder of the members of our City staff for their dedication to updating this center on an extremely challenging time schedule,” said Victorville City Manager Keith Metzler.
Since animal care and adoption services were taken over by the City, 908 animals have been adopted thanks in large part to pet adoption events hosted in collaboration with local retailers such as Home Depot, Costco, and the Farmer’s Market. Additionally, 148 animals have been relocated to 23 rescues or fosters, 383 lost animals were returned to their owners, 3,375 animals have been microchipped, and over 2,000 free dog licenses have been issued.
Victorville’s new Animal Care & Adoption Center is located at 16648 E St. in Old Town Victorville. Hours of operation are Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Fridays.
Pet adoptions are available for free to both Victorville and non-Victorville residents and short or long-term volunteer foster opportunities are also available.
Holiday hours will be in effect from Dec. 23 through Jan. 5. During this time, residents in search of a lost pet should visit vv.city/animalcare, email the team at animalcontrol@victorvilleca.gov, or call the Animal Services after-hours number at (760) 955-5089. During holiday hours, residents can also request an appointment to see a dog available for adoption through email. A staff member will follow up to schedule an appointment. Appointments will be available from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Dec. 26, Dec. 28, Jan. 3 and Jan. 4.
Additional information about the center and pets available for adoption can be found at vv.city/animalcare or by calling (760) 955-5089.
Located in Southern California at the high-point between Los Angeles and Las Vegas, Victorville is the leading city for both industry and retail in the High Desert region. Victorville is a growing, vibrant community that is home to approximately 136,000 residents and some of the area’s largest employers. Clean air, abundant mountain vistas, family-friendly recreational activities, spectacular sunsets, and breathtaking night skies entice locals and visitors alike to fall in love with this city that is within a few hours of SoCal beaches, National Parks, mountain retreats, and other major attractions. Ontario International Airport is less than an hour away. Learn more about the City of Victorville at VictorvilleCA.gov.Return to full list >>
