Short-Term Transitional Boarding
Hold for Home: Transitional Pet Care
East Bay SPCA’s Hold for Home (H4H) program supports pet parents experiencing a short-term life event that temporarily prevents them from caring for their pets. The goal is to give owners up to 30 days to manage their transition while ensuring pets are safe and cared for, with the intention of reuniting pets with their owners.
We are unable to provide boarding for travel, vacations, long-term housing searches, or ongoing unstable living situations.
Program Eligibility
- Pet owners must be working with a case manager or social worker related to their transitional event (e.g., hospital social worker, case manager at a substance use treatment facility).
- Pets cannot be aggressive or unsafe to handle.
- Pets must be generally healthy; chronic medical issues needing daily care cannot be accommodated.
- Owners must provide proof of ownership for more than 30 days.
- Intact pets will be spayed/neutered during their stay; vaccines and microchipping are also provided at no cost and are required.
- Pets can stay for up to 30 days. Severe behavior or health issues require pickup within 24 hours of notification.
- If an owner cannot reclaim a pet, they must notify us promptly.
- Owners must remain reachable by phone and email during the boarding period. Failure to maintain communication may affect continued participation in the program.
This service is only available to residents of Alameda or Contra Costa Counties.
Spacing: large