'Goal Is To Save As Many Pets' Lives As Possible' Riverside County Animal Services Pleads For Aid

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — With kennels over capacity, and adoption fees waived through Nov. 30, the Riverside County Department of Animal Services is emphasizing saving the lives of impounded pets at the county's four animal shelters. Department of Animal Services Director Mary Martin said Tuesday that the department has renewed its appeal for residents to consider adopting or fostering dogs and cats as the holidays approach.

"Progress has been made toward the 'no kill' goal," Martin told the county Board of Supervisors during its meeting Tuesday. "We're doing everything in our power to find homes for these animals ... trying to save as many pets' lives as possible."

Martin was present for a 5-0 board vote approving the department's request for a five-year contract, valued at $1.5 million, with Downey-based TLC Animal Removal Services for the disposal of pets that die in the shelters or are recovered dead by animal control officers on patrol. The remains of each animal are taken to landfills for burial, she said.

Though speakers claimed otherwise, Martin dispelled rumors from commenters suggesting the department engaged in animal "rendering" and that remains for the production of animal feed products. "All (dead) animals are removed from the shelters and buried in landfills," she told the board.

The agency director acknowledged that not all impounded pets "can be seen by the public," but she denied there was anything sinister about the practice.

"Some of them are housed separately for quarantine or due to cruelty investigations," Martin said.

She used her time at the podium to call on residents this holiday season to consider participating in foster programs, which involve taking home a dog or cat for short- or long-term periods to free up space in shelters, as well as to permanently adopt lost, abandoned, or abused animals.

"You can't help but fall in love with them (when visiting the shelters)," Martin said.

In May, the board approved the "no kill" policy, resolving that the county will make it an objective to preserve the lives of at least 90% of all cats and dogs impounded at the county's four shelters.

The policy emphasizes greater support for free or low-cost spay and neuter clinics, enhanced "return-to-owner" programs that reunite lost pets with their loved ones, adoption campaigns with full-fee waivers, and expedited "trap-neuter-return-to-field" programs inaugurated in March 2024.

The no-kill effort dovetails with a reformation initiated last year by the board, when one organization alleged that the county had the highest pet "kill rate" in the nation.

In an effort to alleviate the pressure on shelters, the Riverside County Animal Services recently took part in a "life flight," sending 36 shelter dogs to shelters that had more room across the nation.

In September 2024, the board hired Austin, Texas-based Outcomes for Pets LLC Principal Adviser Kristen Hassen to rectify problems within the agency, and last February, the supervisors approved the Executive Office's selection of Martin to head the department following a nationwide executive recruitment drive.

She took the helm at the end of March.

Information about shelters' hours of operation and pet fostering and adoption programs can be found at www.rcdas.org.

The Riverside County animal services locations are:

• Western Riverside County (Riverside)
• Coachella Valley Animal Campus (CVAC)
• San Jacinto Valley Animal Campus (San Jac)
• Blythe