Friends of Contra Costa Animal Shelters
Our Mission
We’re "Friends of Contra Costa Animal Shelters", or FOCCAS. Our mission is to enhance and establish services that benefit the lives of shelter animals throughout Contra Costa.
As FOCCAS we are committed to:
Find great foster and adopted homes for shelter animals.
Offer community low-cost spay/neuter programs to reduce over-population.
Commit to reducing the euthanasia of healthy animals in local shelters.
Coordinate community training and education services to enable companion animals to stay in their homes.
Advance responsible pet ownership within the community.
Support local shelters to identify and implement improvements in services provided for their animals.
Why FOCCAS?
We know the animal shelters in our communities do great work!
But the simple fact is that the needs of the many homeless, abused, and abandoned animals in their care often overwhelm the services that shelters are able to provide.
That’s where we come in! As a “Friends of” organization, we work to complement and amplify the services our community shelters. We focus on animals that may be overlooked – animals that deserve a chance to shine and find a family that will provide a loving home and great care.
Whether it's marketing the hidden gems, getting animals into foster homes until adoption, organizing to provide specialized veterinary care, or arranging transports to areas where successful adoptions are more likely, we’re there.
We are small, grassroots, and fiercely passionate about what we do. We receive no funds from any government services and are not a part of any other organization. We are members of our community working hard to make our great community even better.
We are friends - of our community shelters, our community animals, and our community.
Adoption Policy
Thank you for contacting FOCCAS and thank you for considering fostering and/or adoption. We understand that bringing a pet into your home is a big decision that deserves a lot of consideration. The wellbeing and safety of our animals and our fosters/adopters/community comes first and we reserve the right to refuse any application for any reason.
Adoption Procedure
FOCCAS is not a pet store and does not sell animals. Animals are adopted into loving homes.
Our goal is to adopt animals into an environment deemed suitable by FOCCAS. This will take into account the individual animal’s personality and other needs.
In order to adopt an animal from our rescue, you will be required to fill out an adoption application. Applicants are screened to determine their ability to provide a safe and caring environment for their pets.
You must be 21 or older to adopt an animal. You will be required to provide photo ID at the time of adoption.
All individuals living in your home, including children, will be required to meet the pet prior to taking him/her home. If you are adopting a dog, he/she must also meet all other dogs in your home.
If ANY individual living in your home is against adopting a pet for ANY reason, your application will be denied.
If you do not own your home, you may be asked to provide written or verbal authorization from your landlord.
No animal can be adopted out as a gift for another person without the recipient’s participation in the adoption process.
An adoption fee will be charged at the time of adoption. Adoption fees are nonrefundable and nontransferable. The following is a list of what is included in your adoption fee: spay/neuter surgery and aftercare; DHLPP, Bordetella, and Rabies vaccines; treatment for worms and fleas; microchip.
Adoption Policies
Only companion animals are routinely placed for adoption. Companion animals are adopted out as household pets. FOCCAS will not adopt out animals strictly as guard dogs, hunting dogs, attack dogs, animals used for research or experimentation, or animals that must fend for themselves or have no interaction.
Animals will not be placed for adoption before 8 weeks of age. Adoption applications may be completed beforehand but will not be approved until the animal is 8 weeks of age.
Due to the tragic pet overpopulation problem throughout our country, ALL animals adopted out through FOCCAS will be spayed or neutered before being placed in homes.
All animals adopted out will be up to date on all vaccinations.
FOCCAS recognizes the need for all animals to have permanent identification as a means of returning lost pets to their owners. All animals will be microchipped.
Puppies and kittens should be at least four months of age before being placed in homes where there are children under five years of age unless FOCCAS determines the home to be a safe environment.
Animals will not be adopted out to homes where they will live in violation of CA state laws.
Animals will not be adopted out to anyone voicing a desire to perform cosmetic surgeries (such as ear cropping, tail docking) or use aversive training techniques (such as choke chains, shock collars, hitting)
No animal will be adopted to a person or persons in a household with a known history of cruelty convictions, repeated animal control violations, known neglect or abandonment of animals and/or previous violations of pet adoption policies.
The adopting party must agree to provide this animal with proper care at all times, including nutritious food, clean water, exercise, emotional love and support and veterinary care necessary to prevent illness and relieve suffering.
If it becomes impossible for the adopting party to keep this animal, the animal MUST be returned to FOCCAS. Adopter will also notify FOCCAS in the event of a change of address.
Rabies vaccinations are a legal requirement. The adopting party must agree to keep this animal up to date on Rabies vaccinations. We strongly encourage keeping the animal up to date on all other vaccinations.
Dogs must be licensed in the county the adopter resides in. This is a legal requirement in most counties.
All animals currently in the adopters home must be fixed, licensed, and up to date on all vaccinations.