Are you lonely and in need of companionship? Tired of taking long walks on the beach by yourself? In need of someone to perk you up when you’re down? Look no further, one of several animal shelters in the Goleta area is sure to currently house the perfect furry pet pal you’ve been looking for!

In honor of Adopt-a-Cat month, we decided to highlight several pet adoption centers located at the end of Overpass Road off Patterson Avenue near the 101 freeway, including the Santa Barbara Humane Society, the Santa Barbara County Animal Shelter, ASAP (cats) and DAWG adoptions.

All of these shelters share a goal of ensuring that every pet has a permanent home and a lasting relationship with the new owners. The adoption process can involve counseling and a pre-adoption face-to-face meeting with every member of the new household, including other pets. A background check with landlords makes sure pets are allowed to reside in the prospective owner’s home. The application procedure serves to create a perfect match between a pet and his/her new owner.

Founded in 1887, the Santa Barbara Humane Society is located at 5399 Overpass Rd. and currently adopts out cats, dogs, rabbits, smaller rodents, and some barnyard fauna to loving homes. The Humane Society is privately-funded and will take unwanted pre-owned pets at no cost, unlike many other shelters. Adoption fees for cats and dogs both include spay/neutering, rabies and distemper vaccinations, worming for kittens/puppies, temperament evaluations, background/personality form, starter pack of food, and a cat/dog care booklet. The cat adoption fee is $44 and also includes a feline leukemia test, while the adoption fee for dogs is $49 and also includes a bordetella vaccination. Licensing fees for all adoptees is extra. Rabbits are also available for adoption for $20.

The Humane Society also offers a low-cost spay/neuter clinic to the public; the surgery costs $40(m)/$45(f) for dogs and $25(m)/$40(f) for cats, with some extra fees for larger pets or animals in heat. A low-cost vaccination clinic is also available for Humane Society members, which requires a $15 minimum donation annually. Members may also board their pets at the shelter for $9/day for dogs ($1 extra for exercise run) and $7/day for cats. The Humane Society also reaches out to the community’s youth through their humane education program.

The ASAP, or Animal Shelter Assistance Program, is a non-profit organization that cares for and places stray or abandoned cats in new homes, after they are accepted by Santa Barbara County Animal Services. ASAP is located at the Santa Barbara County Animal Shelter at 5473 Overpass Road. Since its founding in 1989, ASAP has worked to eliminate any euthanasia performed for the purpose of cat population control, and the adoption rate for cats has risen to 100 percent. The adoption fee for cats is $50 and includes spay/neutering, flea treatment, vaccinations, deworming, testing for feline leukemia and feline immunodeficiency virus, temperament evaluation, and a cat carrier. Through ASAP’s Sponsor a Cat Program, for $30 a donor can provide food, shelter, and vet care for a sheltered cat awaiting adoption.

Also located at the Santa Barbara County Animal Shelter is K-9 PALS, or K-9 Placement and Assistance League. For $65, you can take home a stray or abandoned dog needing an owner’s love. Like ASAP, K-9 PALS does not euthanize for population control and is a volunteer-based group, saving more money for the dogs’ expert care and making sure they get the attention and love they deserve while residing at the shelter. To make sure the dogs are at their prime when adoption-time comes, volunteers give the canines plenty of exercise, training, and socialization and pamper them with warm baths.

BUNS, or Bunnies Urgently Needing Shelter, is also part of the County Animal Shelter system. BUNS adopts out all kinds of rabbit-folk, as well as guinea pigs and the occasional hen or rooster. The adoption fee for bunnies is $15, and the organization works closely with the new owner to ensure proper bunny care, including information on spay/neutering, feeding, litter box habits, and interaction with other pets.

DAWG, or Dog Adoption Welfare Group, is located at the end of “Adoption Alley” at 5480 Overpass Road. DAWG is a no-kill shelter and has been finding homes for healthy stray and abandoned dogs since 1991. The shelter generally takes in dogs from county shelters whose chance of being adopted starts to dwindle. DAWG gives these dogs special attention and training, making them more appealing to potential owners. As part of their temperament test, DAWG brings in ASAP-adopted Big Boy, DAWG’s Official Cat, once a month to conduct cat tests with the shelter’s dogs. DAWG volunteers will occasionally take in foster dogs off-site to bring out the dogs’ happy-go-lucky side, away from the stress that can result from being in a shelter.

For operating hours and more information, here are the shelters’ phone numbers and Websites (where applicable): Santa Barbara Humane Society, 964-4777; ASAP, 683-3368, www.asapcats.org; K-9 PALS, 681-4369, www.k9pals.org; BUNS, 683-0521, www.bunssb.org; DAWG, 681-0561, www.sbdawg.com.

PHOTO BY MARTHA LANNAN

Caption: Missy, a 3-year-old tabby temporarily residing at ASAP’s cat rescue facility, is looking for a new home. With Missy is volunteer Amanda Gutshall.