Contra Costa County Animal Services Dept – Pinole Shelter

When I called to ask about removing a number of feral cats from my yard, the animal services department told me I could bring the animals to the Pinole shelter; however, they didn’t disclose that they interact with feral cat «rescue» organizations that return the cats to your home because the groups consider the cats to be part of «colonies» that have the right to inhabit your property. So bringing unwanted feral cats to this shelter is pointless — the shelter is not upfront about the likely outcome.

I am so thankful for Contra Costa County Animal Services, Pinole!
The facility here is very clean and both this location and Martinez are very nice, much nicer than I expected from a county shelter. The folks here are super helpful too!
Someone found my new best friend wandering and the folks at this shelter took him in and put him on
, where I was able to find him.
We came in to meet our baby and adopted him on the spot. They made the appointment for his sterilization surgery and transported him to Martinez for the operation as well.
I picked him up as early as they would let me take him and the rest is history. He is the cutest, sweetest boy in all possible universes and I cant wait to spend the rest of his life with him.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

We wanted to adopt a senior dog and the staff here was remarkably helpful and friendly. With their assistance, we found a wonderful 12 year old Terrier mix which we adopted and he is a joy to us. He’s delightful and well behaved and we could not be happier with our new best friend and the professionalism and kindness of the staff at the Pinole Shelter.
By all means, adopt from these kind people and also by all means, adopt a senior dog. A senior dog or cat will be loyal, affectionate and forever appreciative.

THEY REFUSE TO ENFORCE THE CALIFORNIA ANTI TETHER LAW! There is a lady in Pinole who ties up her chihuahuas for hours and hours and hours and leaves them in the hot sun in her font yard. They get entangled with each other and the bushes. There have been many neighbor complaints to Pinole Animal Control and Martinez Animal Control. This same lady was busted several years ago for letting the same two dogs roam the neighborhood. They cite some three hour rule but the rule doesn’t apply here. The rule only allows you to tie up your dogs to perform a temporary task. She is not performing a temporary task every single day and besides she leaves them out there way longer than three hours. A few weeks ago she tied them up and took off. Leaving them alone in the front yard for an hour. Come on Pinole and Martinez Animal Control do your job and protect these dogs. Follow the law and start enforcing the California Anti Tether law.

Wish they were better about picking up the dog shit in the dog cages and making sure the animal has food and water!
It’s already devastating that they’re in here but better off here where they’re fed and warm then stray but still. :(
Ppl just adopt if you can, even if the customer service can be kinda yucky. Adopt the animal and leave.

I called about a rooster who’s living in the backyard of an older woman in my neighborhood. This was a fighting cock who probably got loose and went wandering. It settled in her backyard and her efforts to get rid of it, which including leading it out of her backyard using grain, just made it feel more at home. But the animal services dept told me it can’t respond to this kind of problem, and is only there to enforce the license necessary to own a rooster. This requires time and at least one visit, and even then they aren’t allowed to remove it based on its behavior or anything, but only apply a fine. That didn’t seem too helpful. This rooster actually threatens the little old lady who keeps feeding it to prevent it from ‘getting angry’, and it will not leave her backyard.
Then it occurred to me to call the police first and let them know what was going on. They went to her house the same day, and then called animal control themselves. So this is good to know — that other agencies, the police and also facilities for the elderly, for instance if they are needed, will get animal control to respond much more quickly. I wish it were different but still, good to know.

This has got to be the poorest EXCUSE for ‘animal control’ these people don’t give two shits about theses poor animals. We have called them for about two weeks now reporting two starving dogs that are locked up in an abandoned apartment complex, they supposedly have sent out the sheriff two times and they have yet to do ANYTHING about these STARVING ANIMALS. AND That’s only one case. ANOTHER dog started roaming our neighborhood so we’ve called them and they keep blowing us off to the sheriffs department… LAST TIME I CHECKED YOU WEREN’T YOU ANIMAL CONTROL?! This place should be shut down. They DONT do their jobs! Don’t even bother calling them they could give a shit less about any animals.

First of all… this review is not meant to stop people from adopting from this shelter… in fact just the opposite… this is a kill them as fast as we possibly can place.
The contra costa animal control service should be shut down and Every employee should be fired starting with the director to the janitor. These people don’t care about animals other than trying to beat their record of how many thousands they can kill each year!
If you call them because you catch a stray animal, you better be prepared to keep it a few days… Especially if it’s on the weekend or after hours… These idiots even keep the drop off boxes locked so the public, that pays their salaries cant leave a dog in them after hours… They claim it’s because they don’t want injured animals brought there… They would rather animals remain at large so they can cause car accidents or bite people.
This has got to be the worse public agency in contra costa county… I feel so bad for the animals here… But it’s better to be in this place than running lose on the street, but trust me, not much better… Everyone reading this contact your local supervisor and demand they overhaul this horribly run department.

I cannot believe how abusive the staff is. We try to do a good deed, rescuing a dog that was running in the street in a commercial area and did not have any identification. We reported the dog to the shelter immediately and spent 6 days feeding and caring for this dog while trying to find the owner, in our house and on our own time! We called the shelter multiple times, but the owners didn’t call in for a few days. We finally got the contact info for the owners, and met them at this shelter. This is where the employee, named Marisa, accused us of *stealing* the dog, being irresponsible, and lying about trying to find the owner, yelling at us and interrupting us the whole time. I don’t carte how awesome the animals are, I am never going back to this shelter, and I will think twice about rescuing another animal.

On Sunday, February 15^th afternoon, a dog was running up and down my block. Finally the dog decided to sit near my home on the sidewalk. I went up to the dog and discovered it had an electrical cord around its neck used as a leash. I took the cord off and put a dog chain around its neck. I chained the dog in front of my house hoping someone would find it. Before deciding to call animal control, I knocked on my neighbors doors to see if someone knew anything about the dog, «like who’s dog was it»? None, of the neighbors knew. I fed the dog and gave it water and had it chained in front of my house overnight. Monday morning, I walked the dog around the block to see if someone would claim the dog and it didn’t happen. So, I called animal control and found out the office is closed until Tuesday. That meant I had the dog for one more night. I put the dog in my backyard so I can take it off the chain.
The dog was large and skinny. It ate like it was starving. Because the dog was able to roam it made a mess of everything. The next day, Tuesday, my mother called animal control to pick up the dog. An animal control officer came to my home with her trainee. When my mother tried to explain how the dog got to my home, the officer told my mother to be quiet. My mother is a senior with health problems. My mother said the officer didn’t want to hear anything. I understand animal control officers have their job to do but that doesn’t mean they should abuse their authority with intimidation. We were people only trying to do a good deed.

Came to this shelter looking for a new best friend and found a dog that I was really interested in and proceeded with trying to adopt her. Two ladies were very helpful and said that we could return any time to visit and even bring in my daughter’s dog that we had with us. Then I returned another day to visit the dog I was interested in adopting but this day it was another lady working and she was really rude to me and not helpful at all even acted like I was bothering her she even rolled her eyes at me. If it wasn’t for me falling in love with this dog I would have never returned. Come on pinole shelter don’t you want to get these animals adopted it’s as easy as being kind to anther person don’t be rude.

I come here since I work in the same plaza and I always love to see what kind of dogs and cats they have here. The people that work here are very friendly.

I’ve gotten several pets here. this is NOT a no-​kill shelter, so they need you.
And it’s not all just pit bulls and chichuhuas. That’s a fallacy. There are many different breeds here. Please lets rescue our local animals and diminish euthanasia.

The staff here told me I could not bring my dog, who has all his shots and a shot record with me, could not meet any potential adoptee before I adopt. Who would adopt an animal without introducing the other pets??? Insane and stupid practice

Five years ago, I adopted a kitten here, and was treated really well. The service was great, and I decided to return to adopt again. This time, I was shocked at the service, and quality of the staff here. They put animals on the website, and say they are available. When we arrived the animal we were interested in was still there in a cage. When we went to inquire, they said they were holding it for someone. We left and went to Martinez instead. The Pinole center is run like a business in a ghetto. The staff acts like you are bothering them. In Martinez, we were treated with dignity and respect from all the volunteers and staff. We found a really nice kitten and adopted him. Pinole could not deliver, and the selection was really rotten too. Martinez is much bigger, and better run. If the Pinole location cannot deliver, and provides ghetto service go to Martinez. The staff in Pinole is rude, rude, rude, and they pre-​arrange adoption deals days in advance with people during the time an animal is being held before it can be placed for adoption.

It all started with Annie. I fell in love with my auntie’s «baby» Annie the poodle at first meeting. My aunt told me she got Annie from Martinez animal shelter for under $ 40. After hearing her rave about how nice the facility and staff were for almost the whole evening, we were determined to find a «baby» of my own.
I scoured the website for over 2 months to see if I saw one for me. There were MANY, «that one looks great» options but my living in Sacramento made the travels to go visit each option impractical. Just when I was about to give up hope, I saw his back, literally only the back and top of head (he was a bit camera shy). He was at the Pinole location so I was a little unsure after reading the reviews on Unilocal.Gathering up as much info as I could on Cockapoos, I called the facility. The rep read the notes on his record and had me a bit afraid. She read that he always seemed to be on a super important mission only he knew about, was not housebroken and he tended to urinate in food, on people and even other animals. They jokingly called him Mr. Pee. Of course that had me more apprehensive but I stalked him for 3 days, calling everyday to make sure he was still available.
I finally took time off work to get my «guy». Boy was he a mess. Matted coat, pronounced tear stains on face and inside of hind legs AND STTTINNNNKKKKKYYYY. Although he paid me no mind when I visited him and he was all the before mentioned and then some, I loved him instantly.
It’s been almost a week and my love for him has grown substantially. Albeit he is still not groomed, still has the embarrassing «cone» on his head and is still STINNNNNKKKKYYYY, he has had no accidents in the bowls, house, car, on people or other animals. He has adjusted extremely well, so much so that he is trying to sleep with me.
It is true, don’t judge a book by its cover. My advise for anyone looking for that special addition to their life is to go with gut. Never mind what attributes the staff says the animal shows. If it feels right it’s probably cause it is.
If your match is not neutered or spayed, I would suggest finding a groomer that will pick up the pet before surgery so that you don’t have to deal with the stink and filth for 10 days (lesson learned). Do NOT discount the animal just because they look mangy. My Malcolm X (the shelter named him Malcolm, I added the X) is a handsome beast on the inside and in due time the outside will match but if I didn’t look at his potential, I would have lost out on the op to love the pet that was made fore me.
Finally, NO the staff isn’t the friendliest, the facility isn’t state of the art and I’m sure there are some additional things I can fret about in regards to this facility. However, all that doesn’t matter at the end of the day (unless you are an employee or potential employee) because you have gained a special friend. Also, the county has monthly specials, workshops and clinics that you may find helpful.
Good luck!

Don’t let the negative reviews dissuade you from adopting here. It’s true — it’s definitely not the swankiest place to adopt a pet from, and the staff might make you feel like they couldn’t care less if you find a pet or not, BUT there are some really great pets here through no fault of their own and you just might find your perfect animal like I did!
This is not a no-​kill shelter, so these animals really need you. I adopted my BFF Lola there and she has blossomed into the perfect family dog. The shelter will micro chip your new family member at a very reasonable cost. They will also take pets back, no questions asked within 30 days of adoption (But of course you will want to give your new friend longer than that to adjust.)
Although the majority of dogs here tend to be pit bulls and chihuahua’s, Lola is proof that you can find other breeds there as well. OR, take a sweet pittie or fierce chihuahua home with you & make a friend for LIFE!
I’ve never adopted a cat from here but they have a large selection. Occasionally you can find bunnies here too. The shelter volunteer was very helpful with us visiting the animals before we decided who to adopt.
If you are in W. Contra Costa and thinking about adopting please consider checking the animals here out. The prices are super reasonable and these animals don’t have much time and truly need homes.

Being in the veterinary & animal rescue fields I’m very familiar with this facility. The rescue group I work with often rescues animals from both this location & the Martinez facility so that they avoid euthanasia.
1) The Staff themselves: I have had miscommunications and have been less than happy with staff members of this location in the past. They are not all friendly or helpful people and the volunteers can be rude & obnoxious too. There are however, a handful of very nice people who work here. I try to tell myself that their jobs are stressful and because this is county operated business, they probably don’t get a lot of customer service training.
2) The Staff’s Animal Knowledge: Most of the front desk personnel as well as the volunteers have no animal or veterinary experience other than owning a dog or cat themselves. They also don’t ussually spend any time with the animals. There are technicians who handle the animals and volunteers who bring the animals out for people to meet them. The front desk staff is there to input animals into the computers and ‘deal’ with people who come in to pick up lost pets, license their pets, or adopt pets. Very little information is known about the animals that come into a shelter. The staff does not spend time getting to know the animals, holding them, petting them, or walking them. They can only relay the information in their computer system to potential adopters. This info is generally very limited. They do not know which animal’s are house broken, or which animal’s like to play fetch, go for walks etc…
3) The Animal’s Experience: When an animal comes into the shelter, they are immediately placed into a kennel or cage, frequently with other animals who they have never met before. Within the next couple of days, the animal is examined by a vet or more likely a technician and receives a distemper vaccination. Then they are temperament tested (often times the temperament tester is highly underqualified and labels lots of wonderfully nice dogs as aggressive or unsuitable for adoption. These are often times the dogs that rescue groups get.) If the animal came in as a stray, it is on hold for 3 days to give the owner time to find it. The animal then is placed up for adoption and given a few days to find a home. During it’s time at the shelter, it is not taken out for walks, held, talked to, and does not receive any attention beyond being fed and having it’s kennel cleaned. Most of the attention received comes from people who come to see the animals. The animal is issued a review date and if it has not been adopted by that date, it is most likely transferred to Martinez for euthanasia.
4) Medical Care: Medical care is very limited through the California shelter system. Each animal is assessed and examined by a vet tech or possibly by an actual vet. They are spayed/​neutered and vaccinated against distemper & rabies. Some are microchipped too. If would be in both yours & the animal’s best interest to visit your own vet after you adopt from a shelter. Your vet will provide a better health assessment. Sometimes the age & breed estimations of the shelter are incorrect also and you can’t ever assume that they are 100% correct.
5) Adopting An Animal: The staff’s job is to try and get the animals out of the shelter before they have to face euthanasia. If you are interested in adopting an animal that you see in the shelter, then you should notify the front desk and a volunteer will allow you to meet the animal. If a volunteer is not available, you should ask when they will be and either wait or come back at that time. I highly recommend adopting from a shelter like this one however please do not adopt if after meeting the animal you are not quite sure that it is a good match for you. The front desk staff might say that it’s okay if you return the animal, BUT most animals who are adopted and returned are given even less time to find a new home before they are euthanized. Although I refer people to this facility to adopt frequently, If you need more information about the animal before commiting to adoption, I would recommend that you adopt your pet through a rescue organization. Local groups pull animals from shelters including this one but are able to tell you all about the animal before you decide to take the pet home.
6) If You Lose Your Animal: I know first hand that losing an animal can be the most nerve wracking experience that a pet owner must face. The shelter system has very strict guidelines as to how long an animal can be kept on hold to allow an owner to find it. For this shelter, you have 3 days only to claim your pet if it ends up here. The shelter expects owners to claim their animal quickly after coming into the shelter. The best thing that you can do to prevent your lost pet from being adopted by someone else or from being euthanized is to properly identify it before he/​she gets lost! Also make a lost report at the shelter ASAP and check in frequently.

OK, after reading the other reviews on this place, I can see that people are expecting the shelter to be like the SPCA. The fact is, these are county employees who do what they do just to make money to live. It is rare to find an employee anywhere within the county system who really loves what they do… except for maybe in social services.
Seriously, if people want:
(1) a full staff to kiss their ass and lovingly caress their hand while they look for a new pet, go to the SPCA
(2) someone to tell them that they are so sorry because they were irresponsible enough to let their dog/​cat get loose and now they are at the shelter to find them, they shouldn’t be owning an animal in the first place.
Some words of advice:
(1) Don’t ever expect much from a county institution.
(2) You can make a county experience work out to your advantage if you know how to deal with the employees. Be polite and treat them like humans. Know their job function and what service they are required to perform and have them perform those services for you. Don’t give them a lot of shit and they will be happy to do their job.
That said, I got my pitty from the Pinole shelter because they have an over-​abundance of them. I will only get rescue animals… this means the shelters or the SPCA. In this case, I knew that going to a ghetto county shelter was the perfect way to find myself a pitty. I checked the website and called the shelter daily to find the perfect pitty pup. When an opportunity arose with the optimal set of circumstances, I went to the shelter and observed the characteristics of the puppies in question and gleaned what little disposition behavior I could separate out from the stress-​behavior of being cooped up in the animal prison system to pick the right pup. I paid the fees and they chipped her on-​site. I was able to bring her home that day. I got her spayed when she was old enough, and regardless of her genetic background, in combination with a strict pack-​oriented upbringing, she has turned into an awesome medium-​sized pitty. She’s well behaved and non-​aggressive.

This is actually a review for Contra Costa Animal Services, Martinez…(4800 Imhoff Place Martinez, CA Main Desk: (925) 335−8320−1)
Anyway, we adopted our WONDERFUL dog Maggie their a few weeks ago, and we were totally blown away by how nice the brand new facility was, how incredibly sweet and friendly the staff and volunteers were, and how positive the overall experience was.
We only paid $ 50 total to adopt our girl, who is priceless to us! It seems like people are unaware that the Martinez and Pinole Shelters do adoptions as well as general animal control… This is a great place to adopt!