Most fees to adopt dogs and cats from Riverside County animal shelters will be waived Saturday during the second annual California Adopt-a-Pet Day.
The department will not collect adoption fees, but basic licensing fees are still required, which usually range between $12 and $25 for spayed or neutered pets.
Three of the county’s four shelters will participate in the promotion that aims to ease the severe overcrowding — the San Jacinto Valley Animal Campus, Coachella Valley Animal Campus in Thousand Palms and Western Riverside County Animal Shelter in Jurupa Valley. The three shelters’ operating hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The Blythe Animal Shelter is not open to the public on weekends.
Department of Animal Services Director Mary Martin said the adoption event provides residents an opportunity to choose from hundreds of “wonderful animals that have lost their homes” and are in dire need of a new one.
“Please help us make room for those in need by adopting and fostering,” Martin said in a statement. “Come down to our shelters, and we will help you find a great match.”
The California Animal Welfare Association, American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and other nonprofit organizations are sponsoring the adoption event.
All of the shelters are at full capacity with little to no space to spare, officials said.
In addition to Saturday’s statewide adoption drive, the RCDAS facilities recently opened for adoptions, fosters and lost pet reclaims on Sundays, waived adoption fees, waived lost pet reclaim fees and integrated lost-and-found pets with Petco Love Lost. Officials said all adoption fees are waived until capacity reaches below 150%.
“Riverside County Department of Animal Services is experiencing over 220% capacity across its shelter locations recently, with over 1,000 dogs housed in facilities designed for less than half that number,” according to a department statement last week. “Animal intake after Memorial Day is historically one of the highest shelter intake periods nationwide, and RCDAS is facing critical overcrowding. Without immediate community support through adoptions, fostering, or reunification of lost pets, the department may be forced to make heartbreaking euthanasia decisions solely due to lack of space.”
Martin said, “Euthanasia is a last resort strategy that we are desperate to avoid, but it is the reality we are facing right now in order to ensure we are able to provide safe, humane care.”
In May, the Board of Supervisors declared the county’s intention to become a “no-kill” jurisdiction for pets with a goal of 90% of animals at county facilities leave those shelters alive.
The board’s resolution directs county officials to work with “public and private partners,” animal welfare groups, veterinarians, cities and residents to reduce the number of animals euthanized.
The 90% no-kill goal entails greater focus on free or low-cost spay and neuter clinics, improved “return-to-owner” programs that reunite lost pets with their people, adoption campaigns and events, pet fostering programs that temporarily ease space limitations at shelters and expedited “trap-neuter-return-to-field” efforts for community cats.
RCDAS has been criticized for its euthanasia policies, namely in 2023 when the shelter system had the highest animal kill rate in the county. In 2024, the county’s overall live release rate was 71%, which lagged behind the Coachella Valley Animal Campus’s 80% rate.
The Best Friends Animal Society has alleged the county has the highest pet “kill rate” in the United States.
In September to rectify problems within the agency, the Board of Supervisors hired Kristen Hassen, principal adviser at Austin, Texas-based Outcomes for Pets LLC.
In February, the supervisors approved the Executive Office’s selection of Martin to head the department following nationwide recruitment. Martin previously served as assistant director for Dallas Animal Services of Texas.
Overcrowding and long-term kennel confinement can take a significant toll on dogs both physically and behaviorally, with many staying at the shelter for over 100 days and showing signs of kennel stress and deterioration after as little as 14 days.
“Right now, we have zero empty kennels for incoming dogs and there are three, four, or more dogs in nearly every kennel that is designed to safely house just one to two dogs,” Martin said.
Information about shelters, fostering opportunities and pets available for adoption is online at rcdas.org.
