Officials with the CBACC have announced due to the rise of the fatal disease distemper among dogs, they will temporarily stop taking in any new dogs for their kennel.

The full release can be seen below:

The City of Bakersfield Animal Care Center will temporarily halt intake of dogs from the public in order to stop the spread of distemper at the CBACC. This intake stoppage is effective immediately and will remain in effect until further notice.

There are currently 221 dogs housed at the CBACC, more than the facility’s capacity. The CBACC can no longer accept additional dogs at this time.

The CBACC also asks the community to not pick up stray dogs as distemper is communicable to other dogs they may have at home.

The CBACC has proactively reached out to one of the nation’s leading distemper experts, Dr. Sandra Newbury, the Director of the University of Wisconsin Shelter Medicine Program, to assist in creating an outbreak response plan. That plan includes the temporary intake stoppage.

The temporary intake stoppage will allow the CBACC to reduce its population in order to get the outbreak under control. Staff at the facility will mass test dogs currently housed at the CBACC and those tests will be sent to the University of Wisconsin to determine the rate of spread.

Distemper is a highly contagious viral disease in domestic dogs and other animals. It is incurable and can be fatal. Symptoms include fever, coughing, vomiting, diarrhea and lethargy.

If your dogs are not up-to-date on their vaccines, there are low-cost options throughout the community, including the City’s monthly low-cost vaccine clinics. The next clinic is set for February 5 at Beach Park (3526 21st Street) from 9 a.m. to noon.