Riverside County animal shelters are facing a serious summer overcrowding problem, entering the season at 220% capacity. But in Palm Springs, a weekend adoption event provided some much-needed breathing room, with 83 animals finding new homes.
The Palm Springs Animal Shelter held a two-day Clear the Shelters event over the weekend, resulting in 31 dogs and 52 cats being adopted. Adoption fees were sponsored by Marco Colantonio Realty, removing one of the biggest upfront costs for families considering bringing home a new pet.
The successful weekend comes as local animal shelters face some of their most challenging months of the year. Summer often brings a combination of fewer adoptions, increased travel and a surge in animal intake, including new litters of puppies and kittens.
That can quickly leave shelters with more animals than they have space to comfortably accommodate.
While the 83 adoptions are welcome news, the event represents only a temporary solution to a much larger problem. Free or sponsored adoptions can help families make the decision to adopt, but they do not address the underlying issue of too many animals entering shelters and not enough people taking them home.
The Palm Springs Animal Shelter is encouraging residents to consider adoption if they are ready to add a pet to their family. But for people who cannot make a permanent commitment, fostering can also make a significant difference.
Fostering allows an animal to temporarily leave the shelter and stay with a family until a permanent home can be found. That can create valuable kennel space for another animal entering the shelter.
The weekend's results show what can happen when the community responds. Eighty-three animals that were waiting for homes now have families, while the shelter has more room to care for other pets still in need.
But with Riverside County shelters continuing to deal with extreme overcrowding, the message from local shelters is simple: If you can adopt, consider it. If you cannot, fostering can still help save a life.
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By: NBC Palm Springs
August 17, 2026
