VALLEY ANIMAL CENTER

OUR BLOG

Brian Lloyd

Apr 19, 2021 |

Brian Lloyd is one of the only volunteers at Valley Animal Center who assists staff with pet adoptions. Brian loves being around animals and enjoys doing a variety of tasks at the Dog Adoption Center. Whether it’s washing dishes, cleaning kennels, doing laundry, or socializing some of the shelter dogs, Brian is someone our staff members can count on. He enjoys working alongside our dog care supervisor, Ruben Cantu, and animal care associate, Maegan Wesson.…

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Arthur O’Brien

Apr 19, 2021 |

Arthur “Art” O’Brien is probably one of Valley Animal Center’s most dedicated volunteers! Prior to receiving his own set of keys, Art said he used to climb over the fence when the facility was closed for the holidays to give the cats food and water. Art is retired and began his volunteer journey at Valley Animal Center when the facility first opened at 3934 N. Hayston Ave. He originally volunteered at the Cat Adoption Center seven days…

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Lorenzo Martinez Santos

Apr 19, 2021 |

Lorenzo Martinez Santos is a very goal-driven individual who gets a kick out of volunteering at Valley Animal Center! Lorenzo is an avid soccer player and has been volunteering at Valley Animal Center for 10 years now. “I love it here,” Lorenzo said. “I love the dogs and volunteering helps me with my stress.” Recently, Lorenzo worked in Pasadena for Sriracha but returned to Fresno due to COVID-19. He’s taken courses at Community Media Access…

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Kim Thurman

Apr 19, 2021 |

Kim Thurman, a retired RN, loves dogs. Unfortunately, right before her retirement, she lost her beloved 14-year-old dog. Heartbroken and sad, but not ready for a new pet, Kim decided to volunteer at Valley Animal Center to fill the void her dog left behind. Kim has been with Valley Animal Center since 2017 (four years!) and is a Level 4 volunteer. She walks dogs during her time here and enjoys how she is able to…

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Robin Chiero

Apr 16, 2021 |

Before she retired as a Fresno State professor, Robin was already looking for places she could volunteer for post-retirement. Through a service learning fair, she found Valley Animal Center, formerly known as California Feline Foundation, and has been with us since 2015. That’s 6 years! We can’t thank her enough. Robin had been a volunteer for our Cat Adoption Center where she took care of the cats and did outreach work, getting the word out…

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Justin James Foster

Apr 14, 2021 |

If Justin James Foster could volunteer at Valley Animal Center every day, he would! For having just celebrated his 18th birthday on April 11th, Justin has already made a big impact on the community; he’s been volunteering at Valley Animal Center for two years now and enjoys every minute of it. Justin first learned about Valley Animal Center from his stepsister, Maegan Wesson, one of our animal care associates. In addition to working with Maegan,…

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Little feline fighters with upper respiratory issues need your help

Apr 8, 2021 |

We received six new kittens. They’re only six weeks old and are very sick. All kitties have upper respiratory issues and are currently on heating pads. One is in critical condition and one had a temperature so low, the thermometer couldn’t read it! Our cat adoption center staff named these little feline fighters Dumpling, Tofu, Wasabi, Ravioli, Pancake, and Nacho. Yes, our staff members admit they may have been a little hungry when naming them.…

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Dog whose eyes were surgically removed learns to adapt to new way of life (WARNING: Graphic Content)

Mar 31, 2021 |

Bunny was brought into our care with her eyes bulging out from her face. She was skittish and scared. Her eyes were so bad we had to surgically remove both of them. Many of our staff members were heartbroken to see her in such a state. We don’t know what trauma caused her eyes to suffer this way, and we may never know. Despite all this, Bunny is a sweet dog who still has abundant…

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Cat who lost leg stays pawsitive (WARNING: Graphic Images)

Mar 26, 2021 |

Boba, a neighborhood cat everyone fed and loved, went missing only to reappear one day with a broken foreleg. The neighbor who found him reached out to local animal control agencies who then reached out to us. Maritza, our cat care supervisor, did not turn him away. Upon seeing Boba, the decision to amputate his left foreleg was almost immediate. The bone had punctured the skin. Boba was also FIV+, meaning he is immunocompromised and his…

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Geronimo helps save animals’ lives

Mar 3, 2021 |

Mid-February, our cat care supervisor, Maritza, took in Geronimo, a cat who was malnourished, suffering from urine burns, and severely matted with feces. After his story was shared on social media, many cat lovers donated funds to his speedy recovery. Unfortunately, Geronimo did not make it past his first night in our care. Everyone involved was heartbroken, but it was that feeling of loss that brought on a wonderful idea. Why not allocate funds raised…

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