Hesperia animal shelter overwhelmed with pets in need of adoption

HESPERIA, Calif. - You could help save the lives of dogs and cats in San Bernardino County.  

The Hesperia Animal Shelter is at capacity and while it is a no kill shelter it is putting out an urgent message for help.

They need homes for dogs and cats that could be euthanized due to a lack of space. 

The shelter currently has about 220 animals, both cats and dogs, up for adoption. But of those, 50 are considered red listed... which means they are in imminent need for rescue or adoption due to the length of time they've spent in the shelter. Some have been there for several months, and others may have behavioral or medical issues.

Currently Hesperia Animal Shelter has 30 red listed dogs and 20 red listed cats. Resorting to euthanasia is a last resort the shelter hopes to avoid. 

Most of the dogs are large breed dogs such as pitbulls, German shepherds, and huskies. The reason for the influx is due to the pandemic. 

"During COVID unfortunately there were a lot of animals that weren't able to get spayed or neutered and it wasn't something that was necessarily found crucial at that time, and unfortunately we're seeing the repercussions of that," said Bridget Meaden Animal Services supervisor.

If you're interested in bringing one home, check out the City of Hesperia's website or the Hesperia Animal Shelter's Facebook page.

Next week the shelter is hosting a Clear the Shelter event from Tuesday through Friday with adoptions priced at $20. Typically adopting a pet would cost $80.