KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – The SPCA of Clear Lake reported on Tuesday that the last of the animals that were in its shelter have been moved to another rescue as it seeks to refocus its efforts on low-cost spaying and neutering services.

In a Tuesday statement, the organization said it has adopted or placed in rescues 43 cats and 29 dogs, the majority of them pit bulls, and in the first 40 days of the year had a euthanasia rate of zero.

Adopters came from near and far to give the animals homes, the SPCA said.

The last three of the dogs were transferred this week to Petaluma Animal Services Foundation, the SPCA reported.

In early January the organization announced it was immediately stopping intake of animals and was closing its shelter, which occurred on Jan. 30, as Lake County News has reported.

At the same time, the SPCA announced that it planned to focus its resources on reestablishing a low-cost spay/neuter clinic rather than animal adoption.

Executive Director Mary Jane Montana told Lake County News that the SPCA Board of Directors made the decision due to a significant reduction in the donations that fund the organization.

Up until the fall of 2015, the SPCA had provided animal control services to the city of Clearlake, but terminated the contract because it said it could not continue to operate on the less than $1,700 per month the city was paying it for the services.

While it was hoped that dropping those services would help the SPCA get back to its core mission of animal rescue, Montana said donations dropped in the wake of the Valley fire and the SPCA's volunteer veterinarian had to retire, which put on hold another key source of revenue in the form of the spay/neuter clinic.

In order to refocus its mission, the SPCA closed the shelter and laid off all of its employees, but has plans to continue offering services to the community.

Montana said the SPCA is closing in on hiring a new veterinarian to get the spay/neuter clinic back up and running, with the board still to decide other future uses for the organization's facility, located at 8025 Highway 29 in Kelseyville.

In the meantime, the SPCA worked over the past month to rehome the animals in its care when the shelter closed last month.

In addition to recognizing Petaluma Animal Services Foundation for its efforts, the SPCA also thanked the other rescues that helped rehome the animals – Animal Outreach of the Mother Lode, Animal Rescue Foundation, Copper’s Dream Animal Rescue, Forgotten Felines, Humane Society of Inland Mendocino County, Mendocino Coast Humane Society and Sonoma Humane Society.

The SPCA is continuing its monthly vaccination clinics, with the next to take place from 9 to 11 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 21.

Visit the SPCA of Clear Lake online at www.spcaofclearlake.com or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.