Gold Country Wildlife Partnership

About the Program

Category: County Administration and Management (Best in Category)

Year: 2018

Placer County created a unique solution when faced with the question of what to do with its outdated animal shelter facility after building a modern, state-of-the-art shelter across the street. Instead of leaving the old shelter facility vacant or tearing it down, the county collaborated with one of its longtime non-profit partners, Gold Country Wildlife Rescue, to bring their life-saving wildlife rehabilitation program to the Auburn campus. While the 40-year-old animal shelter may no longer have provided appropriate housing for domestic dogs and cats, utilizing the space to rehabilitate and save wildlife has removed the negative public stigma of the old “pound” and reinforced the county’s commitment to providing the community with high-quality animal services for both domestic and wild animals. Placer County Animal Services and Gold Country Wildlife now partner regularly to host trainings, events and share successes together on social media. Through this creative solution, Placer County gave the dilapidated animal shelter a new life, centralized programs for the community for both domestic and wild animals and provided an opportunity for partnership between a government and non-profit organization. The lease of the vacated shelter facility will also result in an estimated $41,040 net revenue to the county.