Pet Adoption Bonanza
RIVERSIDE (CNS) – Most fees to adopt homeless dogs and cats impounded at Riverside County’s animal shelters will be waived Saturday to encourage adoptions during the second annual California Adopt-a-Pet Day.
Three of the county’s four shelters will be taking part in the event, which Department of Animal Services Director Mary Martin said will provide residents an opportunity to select any of hundreds of “wonderful animals that have lost their homes and are looking for a new one.”
“Please help us make room for those in need by adopting and fostering,” Martin said. “Come down to our shelters, and we will help you find a great match.”
The department will waive all adoption fees, though basic license fees are still required during the promotion. License costs generally range from $12 to $25 for altered pets.
The California Animal Welfare Association, American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and other nonprofits are sponsoring the event.
The San Jacinto Valley Animal Campus, Coachella Valley Animal Campus in Thousand Palms and Western Riverside County Animal Shelter in Jurupa Valley will be participating. The Blythe Animal Shelter is closed to visitors on weekends.
Operating hours for the three open shelters are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
All of the shelters are at capacity, with little to no space to spare.
“Euthanasia is a last resort strategy that we are desperate to avoid, but it is the reality we are facing right now in order to ensure we are able to provide safe, humane care for every … pet across our shelter system,” Martin said last week in a plea for prospective adopters and fosters to visit.
The number of canine and feline impounds has decreased slightly since Thursday, dropping from nearly 1,300 to just below 1,100 as of Tuesday morning, according to data posted via the agency web portal, rcdas.org.
Last month, the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a resolution declaring the county’s goal of becoming a “no-kill” jurisdiction for pets, seeking to ensure that 90% of animals impounded at county-run facilities leave alive.
The measure, among other things, contains a pledge that the county will “work collaboratively with public and private partners, animal welfare organizations, veterinary professionals, contract cities and residents … to reduce euthanasia.”
The 90% no-kill goal entails greater emphasis on free or low-cost spay and neuter clinics, enhanced “return-to-owner” programs that unite lost pets with their loved ones, adoption campaigns, pet fostering programs that temporarily ease space constraints at shelters and expedited “trap-neuter- return-to-field” programs for community cats.
One organization has alleged the county has the highest pet “kill rate” in the nation.
In September, the board hired Austin, Texas-based Outcomes for Pets LLC Principal Adviser Kristen Hassen to rectify problems within the agency.
In February, the supervisors approved the Executive Office’s selection of Martin to head the department following a nationwide executive recruitment drive. She most recently served as assistant director for Dallas Animal Services of Texas.
Information regarding shelters’ hours of operation, fostering opportunities and pets ready for adoption is available at rcdas.org.
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