Over 60 dogs rescued from Riverside County house fire up for adoption

Dogs rescued from house fire up for adoption

Over 60 dogs were rescued from a house fire in Riverside County. They are all now up for adoption. 

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, Calif. - Dozens of dogs are up for adoption, looking for a new fur-ever home after 65 dogs were rescued from a house fire in Hemet. 

What we know:

Seven dogs died in the fire. All of the dogs were living on the same property, officials said. 

"There were dogs inside the property and loose around the property. A lot of them have been through a dramatic experience and so really being able to assess if there were any medical needs. Thankfully, there was no critical condition for any of them," said Veronica Perez with Riverside County Department of Animal Services. 

She added that none of the dogs showed signs of abuse or neglect. Most of the dogs were small chihuahuas and there were a few German Shepherds and Pitbull mixes.

Shelter operating at over capacity 

Animal Services removed the dogs from the property and transported them to the San Jacinto Valley Animal Campus. The dogs are up for adoption now. The shelter said they are looking for immediate help as they are critically overcrowded, operating at 300% overcapacity.  

"More dogs continue entering the shelter system than are leaving through adoption, return-to-owner or rescue. In January of this year, 1,694 dogs entered the shelter system while 1,237 left through adoption, return-to-owner or transfer out," they said in a statement. 

 They've already seen 40 adoptions since putting out their call to action. Now they're looking for homes for the remaining dogs. 

What you can do:

Adoption fees are waived through March. Spay/neuter and vaccines are included. No appointments are needed to adopt or foster a pet. 

You can find more information at RCDAS.org.