Over the weekend, the Riverside County Department of Animal Services (RCDAS), in partnership with the nonprofit Wings of Rescue, flew another 15 animals out of state in hopes of finding them a forever home.
“It really is all about life saving,” Veronica Perez, RCDAS spokesperson, said in an interview with The Riverside Record. “Sometimes there’s four or five dogs to a kennel, so being able to partner with Wings of Rescue and outside organizations who have the capacity to take dogs on these flights makes space immediately for the dogs that continue to come in.”
Perez said this was the 15th flight the department has coordinated this year in an effort to ease critical overcrowding at the county’s shelters. The effort has allowed the department to move an additional 516 dogs and 158 cats out of its shelters this year.
Many of the animals that end up on the flights are those that are harder to adopt out, including large adult dogs that often end up staying in shelters much longer than their smaller and younger counterparts.
“Large, adult dogs tend to stay in our shelters the longest so helping these 13 dogs find a way out thanks to our strong partnerships is huge,” RCDAS Assistant Director Dr. Kimberly Youngberg said in a release about the lifesaving flight. “We want to keep the momentum going in all aspects of lifesaving to include our foster, adoption, rescue, pet support and enrichment programs.”
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But the flights are just one of the many efforts the department is taking on to get more animals out of its shelters and into homes.
“It really is just another effort of all the things we’re focused on to help dogs get into homes,” Perez said. “Foster, adoption, pet support, pet enrichment, but especially rescue, and this is under the umbrella of rescue.”
Those interested in fostering or volunteering at the county’s animal shelters can find more information about those programs on the RCDAS website. For those looking to adopt an animal, the shelter is offering fee-waved adoptions in hopes of increasing the number of animals leaving the shelters.
And starting Friday, the department will launch its “Home for the Holidays,” promotion that will not only allow for fee-waived adoptions, but will also provide a $50 gift card for the first 50 people who adopt a dog weighing over 40 pounds.
“It’s a big commitment to take a dog on, especially one of the larger dogs, so we’re hoping that helps people with the transition,” Perez said about the promotion, which also includes a free collar for all pets adopted. “We’re trying to give you everything you need to transition that new family member.”
All adoptions from RCDAS include spay/neuter surgery, a microchip, vaccinations and an engraved identification tag.
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