Animal Adoption Campaign
RIVERSIDE (CNS) – For the second time in less than a month, the Riverside County Department of Animal Services will offer impounded pets with a waiver of customary adoption fees at all county shelters, starting Wednesday.
The new adoption campaign, dubbed “Spring Bark” to coincide with Spring Break, is part of a joint undertaking with PetSmart Charities and continues until Saturday.
“Our local shelter and rescue partners are overflowing with animals looking for people to love,” PetSmart Charities spokeswoman Heidi Marston said. “Adopting or fostering a pet not only enriches your life but is the best way to support your community and local partners in their lifesaving work. There is nothing like the unconditional love of a pet.”
The latest effort comes after a three-week adoption bonanza that ended on St. Patrick’s Day.
The Department of Animal Services is waiving all adoption fees, though mandatory basic license fees will still be requested during the current promotion. Licenses generally range from $12 to $25 for altered pets.
Visitors are welcome to view prospective pets at the Blythe Animal Shelter, San Jacinto Valley Animal Campus, Coachella Valley Animal Campus in Thousand Palms and Western Riverside County Animal Shelter in Jurupa Valley.
PetSmart will also host an adoption event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday at its Palm Desert facility, 34-900 Monterey Ave.
In addition to outright adoptions, some sheltered animals are available to foster. That involves taking the pets home and nurturing them in an environment where they can thrive outside of cages, officials said.
The Department of Animal Services is in the early stages of a reformation initiated last year by the county Board of Supervisors.
A lawsuit filed in August by Rancho Mirage-based Walter Clark Law Group is seeking a permanent injunction against the department’s euthanasia programs. The law firm called it a “ground-breaking case” that’s predicated on the 1998 Hayden Act. That legislation, authored by then-state Sen. Tom Hayden, D-Santa Monica, states in part, “no adoptable animal should be euthanized if it can be adopted into a suitable home.”
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 Mary Martin to head the department following a nationwide executive recruitment drive. Martin, who officially takes the helm Wednesday, recently served as assistant director for Dallas Animal Services of Texas.
Information regarding shelters’ hours of operation and pets ready for adoption is available at rcdas.org.
For More Riverside County News Visit www.zapinin.com