The City of Clearlake Animal Shelter sits at 6820 Old Highway 53 in Clearlake, and it’s the hub for lost, surrendered, and adoptable dogs across this Lake County community. It’s operated by the Clearlake Animal Association, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit built around volunteers and foster homes whose stated mission is to improve the quality of life and care for animals of Clearlake and the surrounding parts of Lake County.

Adoptions run through a foster-to-adopt program, which gives both the dog and the adopter a trial window to see whether the match actually works before anything is finalized. The association describes itself as foster-home-based, meaning many of the dogs in their care live in volunteer homes rather than kennels — a setup that tends to produce better behavioral information and a smoother handoff to a permanent family. The shelter also plugs into a broader rescue network, moving dogs to trusted partner organizations when that’s the fastest path to a good home.

Beyond adoptions, the group runs a handful of community programs aimed at keeping pets and families together in the first place. Those include help with low-cost or free spay and neuter when resources allow, and a pet pantry stocked with food and supplies for Clearlake-area households that need a hand covering the basics. It’s a preventative angle on shelter work: fewer unplanned litters and fewer surrenders driven by cost pressures means fewer dogs needing a kennel to begin with.

The shelter is open to the public Tuesday through Saturday from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. for adoptions and drop-ins. Phones are staffed seven days a week (excluding holidays) from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at (707) 815-9218, and non-emergency questions can also go to info@clearlakeanimalassociation.org. If you’d rather help than adopt, the organization accepts fosters, volunteers, and donations, and they regularly share adoptable dogs on Facebook and Instagram under Clearlake Animal Association — a simple share is a legitimate way to move a dog closer to a home.