East Valley Animal Shelter May Soon See Big Changes

The number of stray animals into the animal care center in indio never stops growing. The same holds true with costs.

“Because of these tough economic times, all government agencies, they’re going to look or options,” Ben Guitron with the Indio Police Department said.

The Animal Care Center in Indio wants to contract out with the Riverside County Department of Animal Services — letting the county take over the impounding of animals found in Indio. The contract would save the city about forty thousand dollars a year.

“The animals that need more care and ability and have more health needs will be under their management,” Guitron said.

Animal rights advocates don’t see the good in indio animals going to the Coachella Valley Animal Campus.

“That campus is already impacted by an over population,” animal rights activist Barbara Klein said. “Forty three percent of dogs are euthanized at the county. Out of that 43 %, 56 % of those are labeled as adoptable and treatable.”

The county agrees to over population — and says the community can help with that.

“The solutions, spaying, nuetering, working with some of our rescue group operations to try and get some of the animals moved from here to rescue groups,” John Welsh with the Riverside County Animal Services said.

Another option for the rescue center :keep it operating but with improvements such as updates to the building and an increase in staff.

Klein says animal rights supporters want things to stay as they are — giving animals more time to get what they need.

“A wide network of enthusiastic people, which, this Coachella Valley has very big hearts, very big pocket books. If there was just people ready to help them and transport them to no-kill shelters out of the area,” Klein said.

If the Animal Care Center does contract out with the county, it will no longer be a rescue shelter, in which case Guitron says it may become an adoption facility.