Last week, Riverside County Department of Animal Services (RCDAS) partnered with several rescue organizations and transported 48 dogs and 54 cats out of California for new opportunities to find homes. This includes the largest transport of cats this year, which traveled to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Utah. The other destinations include North Shore Animal League America in New York, Humane Society of North Texas and Brandywine Valley SPCA in Pennsylvania.
“Working with partners is extremely important and opens doors to increase lifesaving,” said Fourth District Supervisor V. Manuel Perez. “I’m thankful for partners like Best Friends Animal Society, North Shore Animal League America, Wings of Rescue and Race for Life who continue to show up and help us move closer to our goal of a 90% live release rate.”
The animals came from all shelter locations, as the department faces critical overcapacity with available kennel space for dogs. RCDAS is making ongoing changes to make it easier for the community to foster, adopt and reclaim lost pets to address overcrowding and get more pets into homes.
“Lifesaving is our daily journey and through hard work and teamwork, we will continue to blaze trails and help more pets in Riverside County,” said Jackie Schart, RCDAS Deputy Director of Programs and Operations. “All the early mornings and late nights are so worth it for us to help homeless pets begin a new chapter.”
Adoption and reclaim fees are waived at all shelter locations so the community can meet and find homeless pets with less barriers. Historically, the number of animals entering the shelter is expected to peak during the summer.
“I commend the shelter staff for their dedication to RivCo pets, and I’m grateful for our strong relationships with lifesaving partners,” said Fifth District Supervisor Yxstian Gutierrez. “We need the community to join in our efforts of helping pets find homes by fostering or adopting an amazing animal who is looking for their new start.”
Community members can help pets in future transports through a short-term foster program called, “Ticket to Ride,” where they can foster a pet scheduled to leave the shelter to another location. This new program offers potential foster families a clear timeline of commitment and helps create crucial kennel space for the animals that continue to come into the RCDAS shelter system.
To sign up to foster a pet with a Ticket to Ride, visit www.rcdas.org/ticket-ride. For more information on fee-waived adoptions visit www.rcdas.org.
