Riverside County Department of Animal Services faces scrutiny from local activists

Coachella Valley locals call for action against the Riverside County Department of Animal Services and its funding of animal shelter euthanasia.

These calls for action come after the RCDAS announced the hiring of its new director as Mary Martin, who is said to have prior experience in taking shelter live release rates to 90% or more. Martin will start with RCDAS in mid-March.

For 2024, California had the second highest number of animal shelter euthanasia in the United States with 37,021, according to OC Shelter Pets.

Riverside County Department of Animal Services (RCDAS) euthanized 37% of the dogs and cats that enter their shelters, according to 2023 data. That’s 11,189 out of 29,972, according to We Are 90 Riverside. 

It also found only 49% of cats and 73% of dogs entering the shelter left alive. 

We Are 90 Riverside says it hopes to achieve "No-Kill status", which would need around 8,192 more pets need to be saved per year, which is nearly 5,300 cats and 2,900 dogs.

RCDAS hopes to reach this goal with the community, and local activists are calling for quicker action. Alan Woodruff created a billboard off of Interstate 10 and Indian Canyon Drive, highlighting the need to action on animal euthanasia in shelters.

“It’s gone on way too long. They’ve killed too many animals, and they are cruel," Woodruff said. "There’s an attitude there [and] it needs to change.”

For more information on the court case Woodruff is part of go to https://kesq.com/news/2024/08/21/animal-rights-advocates-announce-lawsuit-against-riverside-county-for-euthanasia-policy/

For more information on the actions Riverside County is taking go to https://rcdas.org/positive-change