Resident concerns regarding stray dogs roaming the community of North Shore prompted Riverside County Supervisor Manuel Perez and the county Department of Animal Services to start work a control plan this week.
Perez met with North Shore residents on Tuesday evening to observe the issue in the area.
“Roaming dogs are a major concern for animal welfare and the community’s safety,” Perez said in a statement. “We will be taking quick action as a county to address this situation. It is also a goal of mine to work on creating an ordinance that will tolerate the abandonment and dumping of pets in our county.”
It is unclear when the problem started, but efforts to fix the issue will include more animal control officers in the community and increased outreach for spay-and-neuter clinics, according to officials.
“Our Animal Control officers patrolled the reported areas in North Shore on Tuesday, and we plan to follow-up with residents in the area for owned pets next week,” the Riverside County Department of Animal Services said. “Part of our public outreach effort focuses on having crucial conversations with dog owners on how we can assist keeping pets in their homes, such as by securing fencing or providing free engraved ID tags with contact information for each of their pets.”
Free microchips for owned dogs will also be provided as part of the plan to control the situation, but officials said they might also issue citations for violations of various local and state ordinances depending on different owners’ situations.