Verified October 2, 2026
Which shelter a stray ends up in is decided by where it was found, not by where its owner lives. Three agencies cover the Beach Cities and the Peninsula, their territories do not overlap, and one of them will turn away an animal picked up a street outside its line. So the first call is the one that matches the street, not the one nearest your house.
Which shelter covers your street?
LA County Carson/Gardena Animal Care Center. 216 West Victoria Street, Gardena 90248. (310) 523-9566. The County names Carson, Culver City, Gardena, Inglewood, Redondo Beach, Torrance, West Hollywood and several unincorporated county areas in its service area, with limited services for Hawthorne and Lawndale.
LA Animal Services Harbor Animal Shelter. 957 North Gaffey Street, San Pedro 90731. (888) 452-7381. Closed Monday. Tuesday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Saturday and Sunday, 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM. It serves San Pedro, Wilmington, Harbor City, Willowbrook and part of Watts. There is a spay and neuter clinic on site, operated by CAMP.
spcaLA South Bay Pet Adoption Center. 12910 Yukon Avenue, Hawthorne 90250. (310) 676-1149. This is an adoption center rather than a municipal shelter, so it is not where a stray is taken by animal control. Lost pets and owner surrenders are handled by appointment on a separate line, (310) 220-2978. Dog training classes run at the same location.
Where does a stray from the Peninsula go?
Carson/Gardena. The City of Rancho Palos Verdes names the Carson/Gardena Animal Care Center as the agency serving it, and the four Peninsula cities and Lomita all use LA County Animal Care and Control for licensing as well.
Worth noting that the County’s own service-area list does not spell out the Peninsula cities by name, while the city’s page does. If your animal is missing on the hill, call Carson/Gardena first and say where it was last seen.
Which animals will Harbor not take?
Harbor is explicit about this, and it is the detail that sends people to the wrong building. It states that it does not service communities outside the city limits, naming Carson, Compton, Gardena, Long Beach, Palos Verdes, Redondo Beach, Signal Hill and Torrance.
A dog found on one side of a street in Harbor City and a dog found on the other side in Torrance belong to two different agencies. If you found the animal, note the cross street before you move it anywhere.
Why do two official sources give different hours for Carson/Gardena?
Because they do, and we would rather say so than pick one without saying so. The County, which operates the building, publishes Monday through Saturday, 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM, with limited operations and no public viewing on Sundays and holidays. The City of Rancho Palos Verdes publishes Monday through Thursday noon to 7:00 PM, Friday and Sunday 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and appointments required on Wednesday between 2:00 and 7:00 PM.
Both were checked on October 2, 2026, and both are still live. We print the County hours because the County runs the building, and we would call ahead on the day either way. Both pages are linked below so you can see for yourself.
What should you do first if your pet is missing?
File with every agency whose territory touches the street where the animal was last seen, rather than only the one nearest home. Territories here are close together and a frightened dog covers ground, so the shelter that has your animal may not be the one covering your address.
Bring the rabies certificate and the license if you have them. If you are new to the area and have not sorted the license yet, it works differently in every South Bay city and a current license is the fastest way a shelter can match an animal back to you.
Which agency covers your street, what a license costs where you live and who is open overnight all sit in The Local’s Guide to Pets in the South Bay. Download it here.
Sources
- LA County Animal Care and Control, Carson/Gardena Animal Care Center
- City of Rancho Palos Verdes, Animal Control
- LA Animal Services, Harbor Animal Shelter
- spcaLA, South Bay Pet Adoption Center
