PetSmart Charities Gives County $90,000 Grant

PetSmart Charities Gives County $90,000 Grant to Assist Animal Services’ Missions

The Riverside County Board of Supervisors on June 28 accepted a $90,000 grant from PetSmart Charities that will assist Animal Services’ missions to help people and pets.

It is one of the largest grants the department has received in recent years. Although Animal Services learned of the grant previously, the Board of Supervisors must approve such grants at its public meetings.

The grant gives Animal Services the opportunity to use the funding during a two-year period to support the Helping Humans Keep Their Pet Families Healthy program.

Specifically, the program’s goals include delivering basic veterinary care and financial assistance for families that are unsheltered or in transitional housing and other vulnerable populations in Riverside County. The goal is to serve 500 pets and 400 people.

Animal Services Director Erin Gettis said the grant is one massive step toward the county’s goal of keeping shelter populations on a downward trajectory.

“As a high-volume animal shelter system in Riverside County, more effort needs to be made to reduce the number of animals coming in,” Gettis said. “One of the crucial ways to make that happen is by offering more programs to help people keep their pets, such as added spay and neuter clinics directly in areas where people live.”

Such grants also illustrate corporations’ ongoing trust in Riverside County Animal Services’ efforts, Gettis said.

“We have a successful track record with PetSmart Charities and we appreciate the ongoing partnership very much,” she said. “PetSmart Charities is a powerful force in helping public shelter organizations achieve reachable goals. These private-public partnerships will get us there.”