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Animal services asks community to foster and adopt as county shelters report near‑capacity
Summary
Riverside County Animal Services reported nearly 1,000 dogs across four campuses and promoted a District 5 foster stipend and free‑adoption days to relieve shelter overcrowding.
Riverside County Animal Services told the District 5 MAC the county is facing an intake surge and needs public help for fostering, adoption and volunteering.
"Across all of our departments, we have just under 1,000 dogs across four campuses," Kelsey from Animal Services said, and noted that the department has 501 dog kennels but only 382 of those are available for public adoption (the rest are used for medical, quarantine or protective custody holds).
To relieve pressure, the county's District 5 'furry foster' program offers $25 per night to foster up to two pets, with an additional bonus if the animal is adopted by day 14. Animal Services also extended a free‑adoption promotion through May 25 that includes spay/neuter, rabies vaccination where required, and microchipping; licensing may still apply.
Kelsey announced a community event and free clinic supported by Animal Services at 29527 Noeo Road (across from Zapata's) and encouraged Spanish‑speaking volunteers to help at the outreach. The department publishes daily 'report cards' on intake and outcomes at rcdas.org and said those pages are updated nightly to show demand and capacity.
MAC members and staff said they will promote foster and volunteer opportunities and connect Animal Services with community events to increase outreach and adoption placement.
