Animal shelters offer pets at minimal cost for monthlong adoption drive

Beginning tomorrow and continuing into next month, homeless dogs and cats will be offered for adoption at bottom rates to encourage Riverside County residents to open their hearts and homes to new four-legged friends.

The county's animal shelters are participating in the "Clear the Shelters" event, during which abandoned and neglected canines and felines are available to take home, according to the Department of Animal Services.   

Agency spokesman John Welsh said that adoption fees have been slashed to a base rate of zero. Typical fees run anywhere from $12 to $120, depending on whether the adopted pet is a cat or dog, and whether they're already altered.

The fees include spay/neuter surgeries, rabies vaccinations and microchipping. Prospective pet owners who reside in unincorporated communities will still be required to purchase dog licenses, which are generally $25 apiece.

License fees vary in municipalities countywide, and there are always senior citizen discounts available.

Prospective pets will be available at the Coachella Valley Animal Campus in Thousand Palms, the San Jacinto Valley Animal Campus and the Western Riverside County Animal Shelter in Jurupa Valley.

The adoption bonanza, now in its 10th year, will continue until Sept. 10.   

The monthlong effort is made possible through regional media outlets, whom Department of Animal Services Director Erin Gettis said "have long recognized that municipal and nonprofit shelters need all the help we can get when it comes to adoptions, education about pet overpopulation, microchipping and the importance of spaying and neutering."  

Welsh said that over the duration of the campaign, there will be "special adoption days'' to further incentivize visits to area shelters, which are consistently at maximum capacity.  

More information is available at www.ClearTheSheltersFund.org, as well as https://rcdas.org/.