The County of San Diego Department of Animal Services in Bonita runs its South County Shelter on Sweetwater Road, serving unincorporated communities across San Diego County with adoption, licensing, and animal control enforcement under California Food & Agriculture Code Division 14. Intake health screenings include SNAP combo tests for FeLV/FIV in cats and IDEXX 4Dx panels for heartworm and tick-borne disease in dogs, paralleling the diagnostic rigor at Bonita Pet Care Animal Hospital less than two miles east on the same corridor. All adopted animals leave sterilized, vaccinated, and implanted with HomeAgain or AVID microchips registered to the new owner's contact information. The department partners with Pets for Patriots to extend reduced-fee adoptions to verified veterans and runs a monthly responsible-pet-ownership course in conjunction with the County District Attorney's Office, complementing the behavioral curriculum at Shades of Blu Dog Training for newly adopted dogs needing obedience foundations. A planned 20,000-square-foot replacement shelter in Santee will expand the department's capacity for large-animal intake and on-site surgical suites.