Community outpouring leads to loving homes for abandoned parakeets

Thanks to an amazing outpouring from the community, all 30 parakeets recently abandoned on a Laguna Niguel trail have been adopted into loving homes. The parakeets were found by a local resident who reported them to the Mission Viejo Animal Services Center, which rescued and rehabilitated them.

The City shared the story with television, print, radio and online news media and via social media, which led to several stories about the plight of these parakeets and their availability for adoption.

Phone calls from interested adopters flooded animal services, and people lined up outside the center on Sunday eager to adopt the birds.

"The Mission Viejo Animal Services Center is overwhelmed and extremely grateful by the public's interest and support," said Animal Care Supervisor Brynn Lavison. "We received more than 25 applications for adoption and most of the applicants wanted two or more birds. Dedicated Animal Welfare Group (DAWG), our center's nonprofit, agreed to fund a BOGO promo, where a family would adopt one parakeet and DAWG would pay the adoption fee for the second.  In the end, 15 lucky families were able to add an adorable feathered family member or two to their homes.  The last of the birds left our facility Wednesday when the Aguilar family of Mission Viejo adopted a pair. We sincerely thank the community and all the adopters for the heartwarming show of concern over these beautiful birds."