SWR Animal Control Workers In Overdrive Following July 4 Influx

WILDOMAR, CA — Animal control workers and volunteers in Southwest Riverside County were working in overdrive on Friday, the notoriously busiest day of the year for animal shelters across the nation. July 5 sees more pets come through the shelter doors than any other time, thanks to noisy Independence Day celebrations that can be quite frightening to some of our furry friends.

As of 10 a.m. Friday, Chief M. Middleton of Animal Friends of the Valleys tells Patch that the agency had processed more than 54 animals already.

"We haven't gotten close to finishing," she said.

The agency received animals from Temecula, Murrieta, Wildomar, Lake Elsinore, Canyon Lake, Menifee and other unincorporated areas nearby, she said. Many were brought in by citizens who found the animals out alone, and left them in the shelter's overnight drop.

Of the 54 pets processed in the first batch Friday, only about four of them had been claimed by owners by 10 a.m., Middleton said.

"It's going to be a very, very busy day for animal control," she said.

Middleton said that in anticipation of the animals who would inevitably escape their homes Thursday night, shelter workers arrived at 6 a.m. Friday — volunteering for two hours before their normal shift, to help get the animals situated.

And it's not just domesticated pets that the workers are dealing with.

"The officers were very busy in the cities yesterday," she said. "We had a lot of wildlife killed... at least four coyotes."

If your pet happened to escape or get loose on Thursday night, Middleton recommends going into the shelter to look at the animals. Though you can call in as well, it's better to look at them in person.

"Our recommendation is that they come and physically look for their animal," she said. "Because if they call and give a description and it's not the same as we would describe the pet... especially mixed breeds...we might say we don't have the pet [but do]."

Animal Friends of the Valleys is located at 33751 Mission Trail Road in Wildomar. You can reach them by calling (951) 674-0618.