Multnomah County Animal Services Announces Website Redesign

Multnomah County Animal Services (MCAS), a division of the Multnomah County Department of Community Services (DCS), is proud to announce its upcoming website redesign launch on December 1, 2020. The purpose of the redesign and upgrade is to enhance existing features of the site for reuniting lost pets with their people, improving the adoption experience, licensing animals, reporting and resolving animal concerns or nuisances, enhancing the mobile viewing experience, and improving access for community members speaking Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese, and Russian.

Improved Functionality

Mobile Experience

The lion’s share of visitors to multcopets.org are using a mobile device to access the site. In light of this, the new site was designed with mobile users in mind, featuring more dynamic content, menus, featured pets and news areas, and convenient navigation options. 

Language Translations

Multcopets.org previously relied on a Google Translate plugin to automatically translate content to other languages. Now, the main content of the site, including the pages and forms, will be translated to Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese, and Russian by a professional service provider to improve accessibility for community members who don’t speak English as their first language. These additional language translations will be available several weeks after the launch of the site. Some content types, including adoption profiles, news, and events, will not be professionally translated due to their ephemeral nature.

User Accounts

One of the central features of the new site is an improved account-based system for pet owners, to help with license renewal and management, reporting pets as lost or found, and updating contact and ownership information. Users can add newly adopted or licensed animals to their account, or import animals previously adopted or licensed at MCAS.

Lost & Found Reports

Lost & Found reports on the new site have more accurate location information, and will closely reflect where animals were lost or found, and for found pets, where they are located- whether at the shelter or with a community member. For those with animals registered in their account, reporting a pet lost becomes a much quicker and easier process.

Adoptable Pets

Information about adoptable pets on the new site is a more robust experience, showing more information about animals when available, and where they are located. Search options are also more advanced, offering filters including species, breed, sex, and whether they get along with children or other pets- if known. Adoptable pets are now also shown in search results for the entire site.

E-Commerce

The new website features a streamlined e-commerce system to make licensing, donating, or paying fees easier. Because many transactions are tied into user accounts, it reduces the amount of time for users entering contact information for transactions or updates, and provides information about upcoming license renewals in a heads up display of animals associated with the account.

For donations, making tribute donations in memory or in honor of people and pets is now a more seamless process.

News & Events

News and events now have a new category system and related content feature, to make accessing desired information easier.

Aesthetics

Visually, the new multcopets.org has a completely redesigned branding, theme, and color style to match the MCAS logo, redesigned in 2015. The featured content and mobile experience of the site also offer a more visual approach to the online experience.

Above all, it is our sincere hope that the redesigned website will help fulfill our vision to provide more accessible and equitable services for our community of pets and people.