Riverside County residents whose pets were impounded at any of the county’s four animal shelters now have the opportunity to reclaim them without paying any reclamation fees, as part of the Department of Animal Services’ emergency effort to relieve overcrowding.
“We know these pets coming in have families that love them,” agency Assistant Director Kimberly Youngberg said. “They are social, healthy and obviously loved. By getting them back home with their families, we are not only honoring the human-animal bond, but also moving towards our goal of eliminating unnecessary euthanasia by freeing up resources for the pets that do need us.”
Reclamation fees, which vary by animal type, are customarily imposed when a party goes to retrieve a pet from a shelter. The fee moratorium implemented this week complements a series of fee waivers announced by the Department of Animal Services last month, which will continue until May 15. Only mandatory dog license fees will be required for adopted pets. The costs range from $12 to $25 for altered canines.
“We want to help our community get their lost pets back home,” county Board of Supervisors Chairman Manuel Perez said. “By removing the financial barriers to this process, we can get more pets back to their families where they belong.”
Of the more than 25,000 stray dogs and cats impounded locally in 2024, only 12% were reclaimed, according to the Department of Animal Services. Officials pointed out that 80% of pets found wandering the streets typically travel less than a mile from home.
Along with the fee exemptions, people reclaiming their dogs and cats will receive no-cost microchipping and spay or neuter surgeries for their animals, as well as free engraved identification tags, officials said.
More than 1,000 dogs and roughly 100 cats are awaiting adoption at the Blythe Animal Shelter, San Jacinto Valley Animal Campus, Coachella Valley Animal Campus in Thousand Palms and Western Riverside County Animal Shelter in Jurupa Valley.
As an incentive to boost interest in adoptions, the Jurupa Valley, San Jacinto and Thousand Palms shelters are now open on Sundays. Weekend hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
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.
The Department of Animal Services remains in the early stages of a reformation initiated last year by the board.
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 Mary Martin to head the department following a nationwide executive recruitment drive. Martin, who recently served as assistant director for Dallas Animal Services of Texas, officially started at the end of March.
Information regarding shelters’ hours of operation and pets ready for adoption is available at rcdas.org.