At 238% capacity, CVAC shelter says they have no room for dogs
Athena Jreij
THOUSAND PALMS, Calif. (KESQ) – At critical overcapacity, the Coachella Valley Animal Campus (CVAC) says they are urgently looking for adopters and fosters this weekend.
Marlo Clingman, the manager at CVAC, says they have no room for any dog that arrives today due to critical overcrowding.
“Most of our large dogs have been here for more than 30 days and that’s not a good situation. After two weeks, they start to show signs of kennel stress,” Clingman says.
According to Riverside County shelter records, they accepted 112 animals on Thursday, September 25th. This week, they’ve taken in 287 dogs county-wide. The county is currently holding 1,069 dogs with just 500 kennels.
At CVAC, that overcrowding is obvious with 3 to 4 dogs in a kennel.
The shelter has been above a 90% live-release rate, the standard for ‘no-kill’ shelters, but Clingman says they’re facing difficult decisions.
“We’ve been above the 90% live release rate for dogs for May, June and July. We had no euthanasia for space or behavior this past month.”
It’s a positive change for the county who has battled accusations of higher-than-normal euthanasia rates. Now, Clingman hopes they can keep up the progress going into season.
“I will probably be going home with a dog tonight to clear kennel space. Our staff is stepping up, we need you to too.”
If you’re interested in adopting, visit: https://rcdas.org/adoptable-pets