Thursday marked the opening day at County Animal Services new Santee Animal Shelter.

Beginning Tuesday this week, vehicles carrying supplies and animals — including dogs, cats, ducks, horses and other pets — made the journey about 15 miles north from their previous shelter in Bonita.

“We're still in the middle of moving over 500 animals over to the new Santee shelter,” said San Diego County Director of Animal Services Dr. Brieana Sarvis.

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Ducks and geese roam their new pen at the Santee Animal Shelter, Oct. 15, 2026.

She said the organization’s main concern during the move has been making sure it’s fear-free and low stress for the animals.

Sarvis said they're still finishing work on some of the dog kennels and the livestock area at the new site.

“Our Bonita shelter will be closed after this. It's an older facility so we're really excited about the upgrade,” she said.

Santee resident Sheri Tiemann was looking to adopt a cat during the Santee location’s first day open to the public. She was familiar with the previous space.

“Well I've known that they were going to open. I've been kind of watching it online. We're super happy to have it here,” Tiemann said.

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People stand near the front desk at the Santee Animal Shelter, Oct. 15, 2026.

Francisco Orozco was there too, reclaiming his 12-year-old dog Peluche, who escaped from his Spring Valley home.

"This location is much more clean, much more organized, and everything is beautiful. I am surprised by how well-organized everything is here,” Orozco said in Spanish.

A KPBS investigation last year found that kennel cleaning practices at the county’s Bonita shelter location continued to violate national shelter guidelines.

Despite fewer kennels at the Santee site, they are set up differently. Sarvis said there’s larger, divided dog kennels and cat spaces.

Plus, the Santee location has medical and surgical suites for expanded on-site treatment and outdoor play yards.

“The new Santee kennels will allow us to have the dogs and cats go over to the other side of their house … and they get to go to the other side while we clean, then we can let them back over,” Sarvis said. “So that diminishes the stress. Also it’s a much more comfortable setting, they have a place for their bed.”

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A volunteer sits with a dog in an outdoor play area at the new Santee Animal Shelter, Oct. 15, 2026.

Sarvis said like many shelters in the area County Animal Services have been dealing with ongoing population issues, particularly with large dogs.

She said the Bonita site had a little over 150 dog kennels, but they were undersized and outdated. The new facility has 83.

“I anticipate we'll be fine. If we do run into space issues we can increase our foster population,” Sarvis said. “Hopefully we can help our adoptions go out just a little faster and that makes a huge difference in having more open kennels.”

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People walk towards the entrance of the Santee Animal Shelter, Oct. 15, 2026.

The Department of Animal Services operates two sites, including the new one in Santee, and another in Carlsbad. Both serve residents in unincorporated parts of the county.

The county encourages Santee residents to continue contacting the San Diego Humane Society for stray animals, barking complaints or lost pets.