Adoption fees waived at RivCo shelters teeming with homeless pets

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KESQ) - Between today and Monday, fee waivers are in effect at all Riverside County animal shelters, where visitors can find a wide variety of homeless pets to take home for the Holidays.

"When you adopt a pet, you are also helping us make space in our kennels for the next animals that continue to come in and need our help, because we always have to have space for them,'' Department of Animal Services Deputy Director Jaclyn Schart said. "We want as many pets as possible to leave our shelters with a new family, and our staff looks forward to making these connections happen across our shelters."  

The nonprofit BISSELL Pet Foundation is sponsoring the county's "Empty the Shelters -- Holiday Hope'' campaign until Dec. 15, during which all spay/neuter, vaccination and microchipping fees will be waived. Adopters will only need to pay state-mandated licensing fees for dogs, which for fixed canines generally run around $25 or less.   

The largest strain on the county's four shelters is the number of impounded dogs, numbering close to 1,000 currently, officials said.   

"This year has placed enormous pressure on shelters across the country, as more families face financial hardship and housing changes that force them to surrender beloved pets,'' BISSELL Pet Foundation founder Cathy Bissell said. "If you're considering adding a pet to your family, adoption has so many benefits. Shelters have desirable pets of every size and age -- many who have lived in homes, are house trained, already spayed or neutered, vaccinated and ready to become part of your family -- all for a fraction of the cost of buying from a breeder or pet store."

In May, the county Board of Supervisors approved a ``no kill'' policy, resolving that the county will make it an objective to preserve the lives of a minimum of 90% of all cats and dogs impounded at the county's shelters.   

The policy entails greater emphasis on free or low-cost spay and neuter clinics, enhanced ``return-to-owner'' programs that unite lost pets with their loved ones, adoption campaigns with full fee waivers, expedited ``trap-neuter-return-to-field'' programs that were inaugurated in March 2024 and pet fostering. The latter provides opportunities for Inland Empire residents to take a dog or cat home for set or open periods, without the obligation to adopt. Fostered pets receive free veterinary care from the county and can be returned to a shelter anytime.

The no-kill effort dovetails with a reformation initiated last year by the board, when one organization alleged that the county had the highest pet ``kill rate'' in the nation.

Last year, the board hired Austin, Texas-based Outcomes for Pets LLC Principal Adviser Kristen Hassen to rectify problems within the agency, and last February the supervisors approved the Executive Office's selection of Mary Martin to head the department following a nationwide executive recruitment drive. She took the helm at the end of March.   

Information about shelters' hours of operation and the current adoption campaign can be found at www.rcdas.org/adoptable-pets.