These pets are At Risk At the Shelter. Act FAST.
The MVP (Most Vulnerable Pets) program spotlights animals who urgently need placement or they face the risk of humane euthanasia due to space and resource limitations.
With the shelter operating at more than double its capacity (2-4+ dogs per kennels designed for 1-2), and new pets arriving every 7 minutes, finding placement quickly is critical.
Who Is on the MVP List?
Pets added to the MVP list may fall into one or more of the following categories:
- Experiencing significant stress or decline in the shelter
- Medical concerns that cannot be treated on-site
- Behavioral needs that exceed shelter resources
- Long stays with no current placement interest
- At risk due to space or emergency capacity protocols
Each animal's situation is unique. In many cases, a home environment - even temporary - can stabilize the pet and provide a path to adoption or rescue.
Where Can I See the MVP Pets?
Limited information on MVP pets can also be viewed by shelter below. Animals added to the MVP list are featured in our dedicated Facebook groups and updated daily. This is where you will find the most information, additional photos, and video of the MVP pets.
How Can I Help?
Some of these pets are available for adoption and foster; others may only be transferred from the shelter by a RCDAS Rescue Partner. We cannot hold pets because we must make kennel space or free up shelter resources as quickly as possible. In some cases, we may extend deadlines on at-risk pets as needed at management and/or veterinary discretion.
- MVP: Space/Capacity: These animals may have minor medical or behavioral challenges, exhibiting signs of kennel stress, or animals with none of these challenges but are simply at risk due to a lack of space. MVP pets are eligible for immediate foster placement, adoption, or rescue transfer.
ACT F.A.S.T.!
Foster: New and existing RCDAS fosters should email [email protected]. Some pets may require a medical and/or behavioral waiver. Any dogs fostered from this list must be fostered for a minimum of 30 days.
Adopt: Visit the shelter where the pet is located. Click here to view shelter locations and hours. Adoption fees are always waived for MVP pets.
Share: Join the RivCo MVP: Most Vulnerable Pets (Official) [link to Facebook group] Facebook group and share pets to your networks. For dogs approved for our Dogs Day Out program, you can also take these dogs out for a field trip in the community to help find a foster or adopter.
Transfer: These pets are also eligible to be pulled by an approved RCDAS rescue partner. Follow the steps in the “Rescue Only” section below.
- MVP: Rescue Only: These are typically animals with moderate to severe behavioral conditions and may only be pulled by an approved RCDAS rescue partner. If your organization can assist, please email [email protected] or call (951) 358-7387. For immediate attention, please mention "Rescue Interest" in your email subject line and include the animal's seven-digit Animal ID number.
- MVP: Emergency Rescue: These animals are facing an emergency injury or illness that cannot be treated at RCDAS and need immediate placement with an approved RCDAS rescue partner or qualified adopter. Alleviating animal suffering is always a top priority for RCDAS staff and we may make the decision to humanely euthanize animals on this list, even prior to their deadline, should their medical condition worsen.
E-mail [email protected] or call (951) 358-7387 with the Animal ID number of the pet you wish to transfer into your organization from RCDAS.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often is the MVP list updated?
Our listing of MVP pets is updated continually, including new arrivals and those who have found a rescue or other placement. We strive to keep our information updated, and you can refresh the link below every 30 minutes to see the latest. As dogs are transferred to rescue or adopted, the list will be updated to reflect these dispositions.
I want to open my home to one of the dogs from this list. What options do I have?
You can do this by adopting or fostering!
A traditional adoption is just that: you adopt the dog! Visit the shelter where the pet is located. Adoption fees are always waived for MVP pets and include spay/neuter, microchip, up-to-date vaccinations, collar, and engraved ID tag. View all our shelter locations
A traditional foster is where you take care of the pet and market the animal for adoption from your home. New and existing RCDAS fosters should email [email protected]. Some pets may require a medical and/or behavioral waiver. Any dogs fostered from this list must be fostered for a minimum of 30 days.
My lost pet is on this list. How can I reclaim them before the euthanasia deadline?
Why can't you just stop taking dogs in?
As Riverside County's largest open-admission shelter, we are often the last option for pets in need. Turning pets away would result in injured and sick animals and pets that may present a public safety risk, staying on the street without the treatment or protection they need and deserve. That is not an option for us. We ask all folks bringing in healthy, friendly strays to be part of the solution, and please attempt to find the owner before bringing them to RCDAS. To learn more about what steps you can take to reunite stray pets, go to our Lost and Found page.
Why can't you just put more dogs in each kennel?
There are a few reasons for this. Firstly, safety. Our kennels are not designed to hold 3+ dogs, and doing so can put our staff caretakers or the dogs at risk. Secondly, cramming more and more animals into the facility is not the answer. As you may have seen over the past year, when we are over critical capacity (900+ dogs), the dogs in our shelter are at high risk. So many dogs, so much noise, and so much chaos is very stressful for them, which weakens their immune systems, making them susceptible to illnesses that they would typically be able to shake off.
Why don’t you just build more buildings and kennels?
Warehousing more dogs doesn’t address the root issue of the lack of veterinary access and pet-inclusive housing. With the support of our mobile medical units, our Pet Support Center, outreach efforts, and more, we are directing resources towards helping stop this cycle where it starts, which is beyond the shelter's walls.
How do you choose the dogs on the list?
A crowded shelter creates a more stressful environment for pets and people, which can impact shelter safety and increase the likelihood of the spread of infectious disease. In addition, the inability to sufficiently isolate sick dogs puts them at high risk of contracting illnesses. The dogs on this list have been identified as requiring more kennel space or medical or behavioral resources than the shelter has available to place them in an appropriate home. Dogs placed on the at-risk list may require more resources to find the right match, suffer from heightened stress in the shelter, or need to be left as single-housed dogs when kennel space is lacking. Making these decisions is incredibly difficult for our staff, who handle these dogs daily and love them as our own.
Isn't RCDAS trying to be a "no-kill" shelter? How can you deadline dogs?
Transitioning an open-intake shelter where more than 31,000 dogs and cats arrive each year to a sustainable no-kill operation is not an easy feat, nor can it be done overnight - especially with a shelter system that is already operating at more than double its physical capacity. The good news is, the more fosters and volunteers we have, the faster we will achieve this lofty goal. We will get there, but it will take time and support from the community - and for our part, we are committed to transparency about where we need the community’s help. Our Live Release Rate (LRR) has steadily improved over the past two years, rising from 62.8% in 2023 to 71.6% in 2024. In the first five months of 2025, we’ve seen continued gains, reaching 79.5%. We remain committed to building on this progress as we work toward achieving a 90% or higher live release rate, which is commonly considered the benchmark for a shelter to be called "no-kill", and is outlined in the Board of Supervisors’ RivCo Rise resolution, which can be viewed here.
Why doesn't RCDAS send animals to other shelters and rescues?
We work with hundreds of shelters and rescues and transfer many pets to other organizations. In 2024, we transferred 6,262 dogs and cats to other shelters and rescues. Unfortunately, shelters and rescues across the country face the same space crisis, and we are limited in how many pets they can transfer into their care. This crisis affects animal welfare organizations nationwide, and shelters like ours send pleas daily. If you have a direct connection with a rescue or shelter, please reach out to [email protected]; we’d love to expand our network.
Questions?
If you have questions about an MVP-listed pet or want to learn more about how to help, please email our placement team at [email protected]. This inbox is monitored daily and is the fastest way to get accurate, up-to-date information.
We kindly ask that you avoid calling our main phone line with general inquiries about euthanasia status. Due to high call volumes, these calls are causing extended hold times for people trying to adopt, foster, or reclaim lost pets. You can view the status of each pet on our location-specific Facebook groups. Your cooperation helps us save more animals and help adopters more efficiently.
Thank you for supporting the MVP program and helping save lives!