The Rosa fire, burning near Ribbonwood, has forced evacuations of residents and their pets. The fire has burned more than 1,650 acres, according to CalFire.

Riverside County Department of Animal Services — which is contending with overcrowded shelters — has taken in at least 66 animals evacuated and impacted by the fires burning in the area.

“Our priority is making sure every displaced pet has a safe place to go,” said RCDAS Assistant Director Dr. Kimberly Youngberg. “But we can’t do this alone. If you can foster or adopt, please come directly to any of our shelters. We are relying on our community to help make space so we can keep responding to the growing needs of evacuated families.”

At the Coachella Valley Animal Campus, staff are caring for 12 dogs. Meanwhile, the San Jacinto Valley Animal Campus is caring for 12 dogs, 14 horses, 7 goats and 5 turkeys, according to the county.

Another 9 pets are also under the supervision of staff at the Palm Desert Community Center, which is acting as a resource center for fire victims.

Since these shelters are operating “well over capacity,” the animal control department is urging the public to help by fostering shelter dogs to make space for more evacuees.

“This is one of those moments when a simple act like opening your home to a dog has a massive impact,” said Fourth District Supervisor V. Manuel Perez. “It clears a kennel for a displaced family’s pet. It supports our first responders. And it’s a powerful reminder of what community looks like in a crisis. I’m grateful to every person who steps up.”

The shelter is also offering free cat and dog adoptions through the end of August at all shelter locations. The deal includes free spay/neuter, microchip, vaccinations and an engraved ID tag. To encourage more adoptions, the shelters will stay open until 7 p.m. on Wednesdays.

The news comes as Southern California endures a sweltering heat wave, with desert residents and firefighters battling poor air quality and triple-digit temperatures as wildfires burn across the county.

“We are grateful for our brave first responders who work around-the-clock to protect and help our communities,” said Fifth District Supervisor Yxstian Gutierrez. “When you support a pet at the shelter, you are directly supporting the families impacted by circumstances outside of their control. Now is the time to show up for our fellow residents and RivCo pets.”

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SAN JACINTO, CA — With nearly 1,000 dogs needing adoption, the Riverside County Department of Animal Services is asking for help fostering and adopting their pets. To do that, new pet owners can bring home a dog or puppy for under $25, according to that agency.

For one week, the agency will offer all canines—including puppies—free to take home without adoption fees in Riverside County to free up space at the county’s four shelters, all operating over capacity. Prospective pets are available for meet and greets 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.

“With 949 total dogs in our care, it is urgent that we find homes for adoptions and foster,” Department of Animal Services Interim Director Dr. Kimberly Youngberg said. “As we move into spring, we are seeing more pets entering the shelter than we have resources to save, and that’s why we are asking for our communities’ help.”

Though all adoption fees are waived, new owners must pay basic license fees during the promotion, they said. License costs generally range from $12 to $25 for altered pets.

Youngberg said the current goal is to locate homes for at least 150 dogs. She said many of the impounded pets are likely runaways who simply got lost.

“We are working hard to reunite pets with the families that love them,” Youngberg said. “We are making 2025 the year that lost pets return home!”

In addition to outright adoptions, some sheltered animals are available to foster. That involves taking the dogs home and nurturing them in an environment where they can thrive outside of cages, officials said.

“The pets most in need of foster care are larger dogs, those with medical needs, and those with behavioral challenges,” according to the Department of Animal Services.

The agency is in the early stages of a reformation initiated last year by the county Board of Supervisors.

A lawsuit filed in August, spearheaded by Rancho Mirage-based Walter Clark Law Group, is seeking a permanent injunction against the Department of Animal Services’ euthanasia programs. Clark called it a “ground-breaking case” that’s predicated on the 1998 Hayden Act. That legislation, authored by then-state Sen. Tom Hayden, D-Santa Monica, states in part, “no adoptable animal should be euthanized if it can be adopted into a suitable home.”

One nonprofit organization has alleged the county has the highest pet “kill rate” in the nation.

In September, the board hired Austin, Texas-based Outcomes for Pets LLC Principal Adviser Kristen Hassen to rectify problems within the agency.

Earlier this month, the supervisors approved the Executive Office’s selection of Mary Martin to head the department following a nationwide executive recruitment drive. Martin, who is expected to take over in the next month, currently serves as assistant director for Dallas Animal Services of Texas.

She will fill the spot left vacant by the exit of Erin Gettis, who faced a barrage of criticism, almost going back to when she took the helm in 2021. Gettis is now an administrator at the Riverside University Medical Center in Moreno Valley.

More information about pets ready to be adopted is available at rcdas.org/adoptable-pets.

To report a lost or stray pet anywhere in the county, officials asked residents to use wwwpetcolovelost.org.

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