For the Dogs … and Cats, and Horses, and Ducks and more

SANTA CLARA COUNTY, Calif. – You may have heard of Cesar Millán, television’s famous “Dog Whisperer.” Well, the County of Santa Clara has someone who might not be as well-known, but he’s certainly a dog’s best friend, the cat’s meow, and an all-around critter and creature comforter: Lorance Gómez, the operations manager of the County animal shelter.

Lorance joined the County three years ago, coming over from a similar post with the City of San José. He was so well liked there that he brought along an entourage – four animal services staff members followed him to his new job because they enjoyed his leadership.

“Lorance’s team loves him,” said Lisa Jenkins, program manager for the Animal Services Center. “This is a world that generally has a really high turnover because there’s a lot of heartbreak, hard things you encounter every day, and it’s hard work. But Lorance hasn’t lost a team member in over a year.”

Lorance has been a tireless animal advocate whose efforts have improved the lives of countless creatures and created a stronger and more compassionate community to support them. That might mean working late nights or on days off, making long drives to help facilitate animal rescues, or arranging for interstate transport. 

Case in point: This past New Year’s Eve. Right at closing time, a French bulldog was brought to the shelter with two newborns – mom was in bad shape, needed medical attention and was rejecting the pups at a critical life-or-death juncture. 

Enter Lorance. He changed holiday plans in a heartbeat to help save the tiny orphans – “I honestly can’t think of a better way to ring in a New Year,” he said. A week later, his charges hadn’t yet opened their eyes, but they would soon, and one of the first things they’d likely see is Lorance, hand feeding them formula as he’s done every three hours since they were born, day and night. 

“He sprang into action, and you know, we wouldn’t expect any less from him because that’s how he is,” Jenkins said. “He is going to help any way he can – he’s done this for multiple cats, too, neonatal kittens that if we can’t find a foster, he’s always going to take them home and help them.”

Jenkins added that Lorance’s empathy extends to the human species as well. 

“One common phrase in this industry is ‘I like working with animals because I don’t like working with people,’” she said. “And that is where Lorance is absolutely gifted. He does genuinely care about the people as much as he cares about the animals, and you really can’t help the animals without helping the people.”

Lorance said the animal-human connection is key, and one of his favorite parts of the job.

“Obviously, animals are my first love,” he said. “I also love working with people and bringing them together, or finding ways people can help the animals in our care. Bridging that link between the people, the community, and the animals of the community that need each other has really drawn me to this work.”

In his three years with the County, Lorance has: 

• Increased engagement with rescue agencies, with nearly three times the number of animals going to partners: 843 in 2024 compared to about 300 in previous years.
• Boosted the number of animals the shelter adopts out or sends to a partner agency for adoption.
• Created enrichment programs for each species, including our barnyard friends. 
• Mentored city shelters in Hollister and Manteca to achieve “no-kill” status.
• For the dogs, he implemented a daily playgroup program for larger breeds.
• For the cats, he led spay/neuter efforts in areas where high numbers of sick cats were coming into the shelter.
• For the community, he added language accessibility, upped the shelter’s social media game, and increased outreach to spark more interest in helping shelter animals. 

Lorance is a lifelong animal aficionado, with both education and extensive experience in the field. He’s competed – and won events – in rodeos and sometimes dreams of a life as a real Texas cowboy. He’s spent time as an equine vet tech as well as in a veterinary hospital. He’s operated a bird rescue and he knows his ducks – he can tell a drake from a hen by the sound of its quack. Yes, he’s a dog person, with an uncanny knack for making a canine connection. But lately he suspects that, “secretly, I think I’m becoming a cat man.”

While he might not be as famous as TV’s Dog Whisperer, Lorance is known in the circles where it counts. Outside agencies involved in animal rescue respect him as a tireless promoter and cheerleader for animal needs, and Lorance excels in creating the kind of connections that serve the cause, whether that’s getting an animal to a faraway partner agency for a potential adoption or working with cat rescue organizations to provide spay and neuter services.

“I make myself available to network with anybody and everybody that wants to help animals, really trying to break down the barriers that are in place and come together and work together,” he said. “As long as there's a place where somebody wants to help these animals, we need to figure out a way to make it happen. I will always try to lend a hand to anybody that is looking to make a difference.”

Lorance acknowledged the work can be difficult, and gave the shelter staff accolades for what they do.

“Going to work every day, you’re constantly dealing with people and animals in crisis, and you have to channel that and still show up,” he said. “It’s a challenge, and I commend the staff for being able to do that. It takes really special people, and we are so fortunate that we have so many people on our team who can handle that and still show up the next day with a smile on their face.”

As for his favorite moments, it comes back to that human interaction.

“Reuniting pets with their families,” Lorance said. “When the animal first comes in, they might be a little bit reserved, quiet, scared – it can be one of the most devastating moments of that pet’s life. And then that magical moment when they see their family, they just light up and become this bouncy, wiggly pet. That relief, the satisfaction to be reunited with their families. Those moments are just really amazing.”