Pets no longer receive as much attention as their owners gradually return to working on-site and learning on-campus. Thus, the number of abandoned pets has been on a rising surge in the last few weeks.

“We’re finding abandoned pets at local dog parks, in boxes outside vet clinics, and in residential neighborhoods. We want to remind our community that it’s a misdemeanor to willfully abandon an animal,” said The Pleasanton Police Department on Facebook. 

On December 4th, the Pleasanton Police Department found a box of guinea pigs left overnight in a dumpster. Pleasanton residents have been noticing an unusual amount of stray animals in the recent weeks.

“We found a dog constantly running around our neighborhood, and we posted it on our Next Door. A lot of people in our neighborhood tried to find it and eventually we did. And then we got it sent to a pet shelter,” said Alex Raj (‘25).

These incidents grow increasingly common as innocent animals are dropped into unfamiliar locations with no way to survive. Animal services do all they can to investigate animal cruelty and rescue distressed animals.

“We’ve seen them in the parking lots of shopping centers. They’re left overnight in our dog parks, our municipal parks, in boxes left outside pet supply stores. And in veterinary offices,” said Frankie Ayers, the Animal Services officer for the Pleasanton Police Department.

In addition to Pleasanton’s Animal Services, non-profit organizations and local businesses are doing all they can do to help with this increasing problem. 

“Art for Animals offers free Arts and Crafts classes virtually for little kids. During the classes, we’ll do an endangered-animal-themed craft and pair the craft with a presentation about issues that are threatening animals around the world, said Vivian Liu (‘23), co-founder of Arts for Animals. 

Although shelters are able to care for abandoned pets, they are only a temporary solution. Until there is a clear solution, the only way to prevent pet abandonment is to raise awareness and support animal shelters such as Valley Humane Society. 

“It’s very upsetting to hear about the rise in abandoned pets in Pleasanton. I think it’s really important that people get pets not as an impulsive purchase, but as a decision that has been thoroughly thought over,” said Liu.