San Jacinto Valley Animal Campus officially reopens to public

A Riverside County animal shelter closed to the general public for more than three years officially reopened Friday.

The San Jacinto Valley Animal Campus resumed normal operations, following a phased reopening that began after the Board of Supervisors approved $3.4 million as part of the county’s 2023-24 fiscal year budget to cover costs associated with running the facility, located at 581 S. Grand Ave.

“Not only does reopening the shelter improve the Department of Animal Services‘ ability to provide comprehensive services, but it will play a vital role in addressing the overcrowding of our shelters here in Riverside County, much as we have seen across the nation,” agency Director Erin Gettis said.

She joined with other county officials in celebrating the occasion during a formal ceremony Friday morning.

“When I first took office, many complaints I came across was that the county only had two active animal shelters — one in Riverside, and the other in Coachella,” Supervisor Yxstian Gutierrez said.

“One day, I came across a heartfelt story when I heard a child who lives in San Jacinto lost his puppy and could not retrieve the dog because Coachella was too far of a commute for his parents. Can you imagine losing your best friend due to lack of resources? This motivated me even more to champion the reopening of this shelter.”

The animal campus was shuttered in the first half of 2020 when the board was attempting to hold down costs while putting the Department of Animal Services back in the black after years of budgetary red ink plaguing the agency.

The shelter has been reactivated during storms and other emergencies during which residents in the surrounding area needed some place to leave their pets. However, there were no adoptions or other routine operations at the facility for the duration of the nearly three-and-a-half-year closure.

The city of Hemet recently approved a nine-month, $1.21 million contract for county animal control services in part because the shelter was coming back online.

“More than 20 new staff have been hired or assigned to the shelter, to include animal control officers, animal control technicians, animal adoption counselors and support services technicians,” according to a Department of Animal Services statement. “Veterinary care is also being explored depending on access to specialized and available resources.”

The number of impounded pets that will be transferred to the facility from the Thousand Palms and Jurupa Valley shelters to relieve overcrowding wasn’t immediately known.

The Department of Animal Services provides animal control to most municipalities in Riverside County, as well as several entities outside the county. However, the nonprofit Ramona Humane Society and Animal Friends of the Valleys also deliver animal control and shelter services in various locations.