STOCKTON — The City and County Animal Shelter reopened its doors on Tuesday, after closing for three days when one dog came down with a bacterial infection commonly known as Strep Zoo.
Strep Zoo can be deadly to animals, which is why the entire shelter was put on antibiotics.
Stockton Animal Services Manager Phillip Zimmerman said 19 dogs that were in the immediate vicinity of the animal that fell ill had to be euthanized.
Alan Gonzales found his dog, Chester, at the shelter after he had been missing for a few days. He told FOX40 news of Strep Zoo worried him at first.
“But now, they say he’s fine,” Gonzales said.
Though it’s not very common, Strep Zoo is alarming because it could possibly transfer to humans. But that didn’t stop Jorja Rule from searching the shelter for her lost cat.
“I’m down here every two or three days, four or five weeks,” she said. Rule’s cat, Arthur, has been missing for about a month. “When I think about the fact that he might be out of my life completely, I break down.
Zimmerman said the Strep Zoo infection shouldn’t deter people from checking for their lost pets at the shelter. The Stockton shelter takes in around 11,000 animals a year.
Starting Wednesday, through April 28, any rescue organization that pulls an animal from the shelter will be reimbursed $100.
