Eighteen dogs were removed from a single property in Coachella this week and taken to a San Diego rescue group as Riverside County’s animal shelters grapple with what officials describe as a critical and worsening overcrowding crisis.
The Riverside County Department of Animal Services said its field services team responded Wednesday after a property owner reported she had been feeding the dogs for more than a month but could no longer care for them. Officers collected the animals and brought them to the Western Riverside County/City Animal Shelter before transferring them the same day to Amazing Dogs Rescue in San Diego. The rescue organization also accepted 12 additional dogs from the county’s shelter system.
“With over 1,000 dogs across the shelter system there is an urgent need for public support to clear kennel space immediately through foster and adoption,” Dr. Kimberly Youngberg, the department’s assistant director, said in an official statement. She added that the department acts as “the safety net for people and pets in crisis,” often leaning on rescue partners when kennels overflow.
County officials say the need is pressing. Riverside’s shelters have operated beyond capacity for weeks, reaching 230% of their intended space for dogs. In August alone, 1,620 dogs entered the system while just 1,021 left through adoption, return to owner, or transfer to rescue groups, according to RCDAS data.
To ease the strain, the county has waived adoption fees through the end of September. Adoptions include spay or neuter surgery, vaccinations, microchips and an engraved ID tag. No appointments are required, and the department is urging residents to visit shelters in person to foster or adopt.
“This is the kind of situation we face on any given day,” Youngberg said, noting that field service teams often intake large groups of pets in need of immediate care and placement. “We rely on the public to help us make space for the next animals who will need us.”
More information on fostering or adopting is available at www.rcdas.org.
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