Animal Shelters Continue Pet Adoptions Amid Coronavirus: RivCo

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — It's not business as usual at local animal shelters amid coronavirus, but pet adoptions and other many other services are continuing.

For example at the four animal shelters operated by the County of Riverside, doors closed to the public Thursday for an indefinite period because of the COVID-19 emergency, but adoptions continue with fee waivers, according to the Department of Animal Services.

The county-operated Blythe shelter, San Jacinto Valley Animal Campus, Coachella Valley Animal Campus in Thousand Palms and the Western Riverside County Animal Shelter in Jurupa Valley are shuttered. However, prospective adopters and foster care volunteers can view all impounded canines and felines via the Department of Animal Services' web portal — https://www.rcdas.org/ — where they can select which pets they would like to take.

"We'll still do our official adoption process and proper vetting," said Julie Bank, director of the county's Department of Animal Services Director. "But with strong social distancing still practiced. Also, if the pet does not make for a perfect fit, there is no pressure on the adopter to complete the application."

To encourage adoptions, the Department of Animal Services is waiving all adoption fees — including microchipping and spay/neuter costs — during the shutdown, according to agency spokesman John Welsh. He noted that dog license charges will continue because that's a state requirement, and the cost of a license is about $20 per canine.

Animals that are selected for adoption or foster care will be delivered directly to the qualifying recipients' homes, similar to an Uber or Instacart drop-off, Welsh said.

The county's foster applications are available at https://www.rcdas.org/index.php/volunteer/foster-care. Prospective adopters are encouraged to call the department at 951-358-7387 for more information, or send an email with the desired pet's identification number to [email protected].

"We have already been successful in placing more than 1,660 animals in March, and we are still coordinating adoptions, fostering and pet reunions, but these services will have a unique look," Bank said.

Animal Friends of the Valleys in Wildomar — the shelter that serves the cities ofCanyon Lake, Lake Elsinore, Murrieta, Temecula, and Wildomar — social distancing protocols are in place. Prospective adopters can only peruse available pets online, and then visit the shelter, where they must be let inside by a staffer.

Animal Friends of the Valleys and the county shelters are still caring and providing for animals, and animal control officers are in the field. Some services have been temporarily halted, however. At AFV, for example, low-cost spay/neuter clinics are temporarily suspended, and all licensing must be done over the phone or by mail.

To get more information on county shelters, click here. For more information on AFV, click here.

—City News Service contributed to this report.

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