The Chula Vista Animal Care Facility (CVACF) will have a new look with a brand new hand-painted mural painted by local artists Signe Ditona and Paul Jimenez of Ground Floor Murals, featuring local shelter animals.
The mural will be painted on the north wall of the facility, located at 130 Beyer Way, funded by a $10,000 grant from the Create Chula Vista Arts grant. According to John Skeel, Director of Animal Services at the Chula Vista Animal Care Facility, the mural is valued at nearly $50,000.
“For $10,000, we were expecting a fairly small mural. When they saw the shelter and better understood our work, they decided to go really big. The artists did not mind that the value they were providing was greater than the amount given,” Skeel said. “They told us this is a gift to the City of Chula Vista, which is amazing,” he continued.
According to Skeel, the artists worked with a local pet photographer to reference local shelter animals within the community. He described the mural as “huge and very representative”.
“If you didn't know we are an animal shelter, you will definitely know once the mural is completed,” Skeel said.
With the high traffic near the shelter, Skeel said the mural will have a "great impact" on the community.
“There is a lot of pride in our community, and there is a lot of pride in the shelter. I think the artists chose this project because they love animals, they want to highlight their work, and impact the visualization of this type of thing in this part of the community. Through their art, they are helping to drive people to the shelter and hopefully save the animal lives, which is fantastic,” Skeel said.
The coronavirus pandemic brought a surge of adoptions nationwide as the world sought companionship. Once the world began to open up, more animals landed in shelters.
Like all shelters, the CVACF felt that impact. During the month of August, the CVACF took part in Clear the Shelters, the month-long initiative aimed to place shelter animals in homes and raise money for services at participating shelters and rescues.
Recent figures from the CVACF show that more than 52 animals found homes during a weekend promotion that waived adoption fees, and more than 180 animals were adopted during the month of August.
“This gives you an idea of how many animals are at the shelter. At any given time, we can have up to 300 animals, so it's a consistent effort to try to reduce the number and get more awareness of the animals that we have at the shelter," Skeel said.
According to Skeel, some of the animals have been at the shelter for over a year. The Chula Vista Animal Care Facility is considered a “no-kill” shelter, which does not euthanize healthy or treatable animals even when shelters are full.
“A shelter is not the best place for an animal, but we'll continue to give that animal love, care, and treatment until it finds a home. The more people that are aware of us and know that there are animals here, the better. That's why this art is going to be so fantastic,” Skeel said.
The Chula Vista Animal Care Facility expects to unveil the mural by Oct. 1
