1K RivCo Dogs, Cats Available For Adoption: Animal Services Now Open On Sundays

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — Riverside County animal shelters will be open on Sundays at most locations to help clear the shelters of over 1,000 dogs, 100 cats, and other animals that need homes, according to the new director, Mary Martin.

The move aims to attract more prospective adopters to take home a new best friend. This Sunday, the Riverside County Department of Animal Services will waive all general adoption fees.

The new weekend hours will be 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays, according to the county.

Though the Blythe Animal Shelter will remain closed on Sundays, the county locations at the San Jacinto Valley Animal Campus, the Coachella Valley Animal Campus in Thousand Palms and the Western Riverside County Animal Shelter in Jurupa Valley will be open all week long.

She discussed the new plan, and what it means for area families who want to bring home a new pet.

"Opening Sundays is going to be a game-changer for our shelter pets and the people who care about them," Martin said. "We are excited to offer more opportunities for community members to fall in love with our many marvelous animals who deserve a fresh start."

As an incentive to boost interest, the department will waive all general adoption fees this Sunday, although mandatory basic license fees will still be required. Licenses range from $12 to $25 for altered pets.

"In the process of improving animal services, we listened and are following the example of other animal shelters with more convenient hours to come by and potentially adopt," Board of Supervisors Chairman Manuel Perez said. "I am grateful for the board's Ad-Hoc Committee for Animal Services for making this change that we hope will help more shelter pets find forever homes."

In addition to outright adoptions, some sheltered animals are available to foster. That involves taking the pets home and nurturing them in an environment where they can thrive, outside of cages, officials said. Only the Blythe shelter will be excluded from the Sunday adoptions due to apparent staffing challenges.

The Department of Animal Services remains in the early stages of a reform initiative launched last year by the board.

A lawsuit filed in August by Rancho Mirage-based Walter Clark Law Group is seeking a permanent injunction against the department's euthanasia programs.

Clark called it a "groundbreaking case" that's predicated on the 1998 Hayden Act. That legislation, authored by then-state Sen. Tom Hayden, D- Santa Monica, states in part, "no adoptable animal should be euthanized if it can be adopted into a suitable home."

One organization has alleged that the county has the highest pet "kill rate" in the nation.

In September, the board hired Austin, Texas-based Outcomes for Pets LLC Principal Adviser Kristen Hassen to rectify problems within the agency.

In February, the board approved the Executive Office's selection of Martin to head the department following a nationwide executive recruitment drive.

Martin, who recently served as Assistant Director for Dallas Animal Services in Texas, officially started her new job at the end of March.

Information regarding shelters' hours of operation and pets ready for adoption is available at www.rcdas.org.