The Ark Faces More Pressure in Animal Rescue Efforts

Corrections (story updated Aug. 4):

• An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that San Juan Capistrano was the only South County city without its own animal shelter. Several other cities are in the same boat.
• The first version of this story misstated the Ark's original mission as being more cat-centric. In fact, the group was founded to rescue homeless San Juan Capistrano dogs, as well as San Juan cats not rescued by CARE, according to the Ark's president.
  
• The original article overstated the capacity of the cattery donated by PetSmart. It holds 10 felines.

Even as a young child, Ilyssa Szalwinski noticed a discomforting trend in the neighborhoods of San Juan Capistrano. 

“There always seemed to be a lot of strays around our town—way too many dogs without collars that have nowhere to go,” she said.

So Ilyssa decided to provide the homeless canines with water, food and attention. Now 13 years old and a month away from going to San Juan Hills High School, Ilyssa is more active than ever in area animal-care efforts.

And she wants help. 

“Who would want to see suffering animals, starving and limping on the street?” she asked. “If we don’t do something as a community, then who will?”

That’s a question that currently faces San Juan, which has no animal shelter. In contrast, San Clemente and Dana Point have collaborated on a shelter, and Mission Viejo and Laguna Niguel have a similar partnership. 

But “when it comes to animal welfare, San Juan is just sitting there like an island right now," said Jean Janicki, president of the Ark of San Juan, an animal rescue group. 

The situation is about to become more challenging. After more than 11 years and 1,200 adoptions, the (CARE) has that help animals.

CARE is expected to move out of its offices on Paseo Adelanto by Sept. 1, leaving the Ark as San Juan’s lone animal-adoption provider.

Janicki, a 20-year veteran of animal rescue, recognizes the new weight on Ark’s shoulders but said volunteers are ready to meet the challenge. 

“There are new people wanting to help all the time,” she said. “They step up and help in all facets. Some hear about us through word of mouth or online and seek us out. We’ve had a lot of success, but it takes money.”

Ark was founded in 2008 and initially focused on rescuing homeless dogs in San Juan, as well as cats not rescued from the county shelter by CARE. With CARE now out of the picture, Ark must now step up its capacity for both animals. The group takes on the task without a shelter of its own; it relies on volunteers to provide foster homes for strays while potential adoptions are processed. Currently, Ark has about 60 animals that need permanent homes. 

“It’s not the most ideal situation, but we do our best to make it work,” Janicki said. “If we had our own facility, we could really concentrate on issues. It would be a lot easier under our own roof."

“We’re just about at capacity right now, and that’s not where we want to be. There are so many more animals that need rescuing.”

According to Janicki, who owns three rescued dogs herself, Ark spends about 52 percent of its monthly revenue on boarding fees. Each adoption brings in $150, but that money quickly evaporates between boarding houses and food for the animals. 

The county animal shelter in Orange receives strays from 20 cities each day. Because of limited time and space, animals are often euthanized.  

Ark’s hope is that donations will begin to pour in now that CARE is focused solely on fundraising. This would allow the group to rescue more animals from being euthanized.

“People recognize that we’re walking the walk when it comes to animal adoption,” Janicki said. “CARE cannot do that right now, so they‘re marketing themselves in a different way. I hope they would consider seeing us as a worthy recipient of fundraising dollars.”

Ark volunteers also set up outside of the PetSmart on Doheny Park Road every Saturday in an effort to collect donations and arrange adoptions. Three weeks ago, PetSmart provided Ark with a cattery at the same location.

The cattery holds 10 of the 30-plus cats and kittens that Ark has up for adoption. 

“There are a lot of things that people can do besides donating their money,” Ilyssa said. “You can donate food or your time. If you can’t actually adopt a homeless pet, you can always look after it while an owner is being found. Anything is better than ignoring the issue.” 

Along with Emily Smith, her neighbor and friend, Ilyssa recently spent some of her free time in local neighborhoods, knocking on doors and asking for donations. 

The two gave Ark a $150 check recently at a presentation at Petco on Camino Capistrano. 

“We're a small community, so every bit counts,” said Ilyssa. “I hope people keep doing what they can to help.”