An Attitude of Gratitude:
Meet the El Cajon Animal Shelter
I first became aware of the El Cajon Animal Shelter after the October 2003 wildfires that roared through San Diego County. One of the fires came close to the home I was living in at the time, and I took one very scared dog to the El Cajon Animal Shelter. I didn't know what else to do because the dog had a collar on, as well as a tag with a phone number. No one answered the phone
After keeping the dog in my garage overnight, I took it to the El Cajon Animal Shelter the next morning. I hoped that the people who lost their dog would contact all the local animal shelters after the disaster was over and lives had returned to normal, or as normal as can be if the dog's home had been destroyed by the fire.
The El Cajon Animal Shelter serves several East County cities and rural areas, so it would only be natural that it should be the first one that people affected by the East County fires would contact.
When I got to the animal shelter, the parking lot was full and people were gathered outside talking, petting dogs, holding cats, and generally looking either frightful or thankful. The staff inside were the friendliest people you'd ever want to meet and quickly took the dog and made it feel as comfortable as could be under the circumstances.
In September 2007 when I needed to replace my cat that had been killed by a car, I naturally went to the El Cajon Animal Shelter. That's where Zoey the Cool Cat came from, joining my household on September 21, 2007.
I can't say for sure, but I think the same people from four years earlier were still there.
When wildfires roared through East County a month later in October 2007, the first thing I did was take some time out to buy some cat food and dog food and deliver it to the animal shelter. I was pretty sure they would be going through the same thing they did in October 2003. I was right, and eventually, due to pleas in the paper, I took lots of old towels and rags, as well as more food, to the shelter during the weeks after the October 2007 fires.
The 2003 and 2007 fires were the most destructive in history, both in San Diego and in California as a whole. The people at the El Cajon Animal Shelter probably neglected their own animals for a few hours each day in order to take care of someone else's during a time of turmoil.
I wish that I could take in more pets than just the one cat that I have, but since I can't, I'm grateful for the El Cajon Animal Shelter and the attitude of the staff in taking care of distressed animals during natural disasters, as well as, sadly, unwanted animals.
The El Cajon Animal Shelter is a no-kill shelter operated by the El Cajon Police Department and El Cajon Animal Control. It is located at 1275 N. Marshall Avenue in El Cajon; phone 619-441-1580. It is open to the public from 10:00 AM to
5:30 PM, Tuesday through Saturday (closed for lunch from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM), and closed on Sunday and Monday.
For more information, including links to web site pages showing pets for adoption, visit the El Cajon Animal Shelter.
If you need a pet, please go by the El Cajon Animal Shelter first, and while you're there, thank the staff for all they do for our fine, furry, four-legged friends.
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