Riverside County’s animal shelters now open Sundays

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KESQ) - Starting this weekend, Riverside County animal shelters will be open Sundays in the hope of attracting more prospective adopters to take home new four-legged friends.

"Opening Sundays is going to be a game-changer for our shelter pets and the people who care about them,'' county Department of Animal Services Director Mary Martin said. "We are excited to offer more opportunities for community members to fall in love with our many marvelous animals who deserve a fresh start."  

As an incentive to boost interest, this Sunday, the department is waiving all general adoption fees, though mandatory basic license fees will still be requested. Licenses range from $12 to $25 for altered pets.

More than 1,000 dogs and over 100 cats are awaiting adoption 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.

Only the Blythe shelter will be excluded from the Sunday adoptions due to apparent staffing challenges.

"In the process of improving animal services, we listened and are following the example of other animal shelters with more convenient hours to come by and potentially adopt," Board of Supervisors Chairman Manuel Perez said. "I am grateful for the board's Ad-Hoc Committee for Animal Services for making this change that we hope will help more shelter pets find forever homes."  

The new weekend hours will be 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.    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 remains in the early stages of a reformation initiated last year by the board.   

A lawsuit filed in August by Rancho Mirage-based Walter Clark Law Group is seeking a permanent injunction against the department's euthanasia programs. Clark called it a "groundbreaking 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. The county is rolling out a series of reforms, including:

• Free pet adoptions, covering spaying/neutering, vaccinations, and microchipping
• New Sunday shelter hours to accommodate more visitors
• Increased adoption and foster events
• Expanded volunteer opportunities
• Efforts to transfer animals to less crowded shelters

The push is not only about saving the lives of so many pets but also about encouraging the community to take part in the solution. More than 1,000 dogs are currently available for adoption in Riverside County.

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 board  approved the Executive Office's selection of Martin to head the department following a nationwide executive recruitment drive. Martin, who recently served as assistant director for Dallas Animal Services of Texas, officially started her new job at the end of March.

Information regarding shelters' hours of operation and pets ready for adoption is available at www.rcdas.org.