"We were left with an $18 million facility that unfortunately the county general fund didn't have the ability to staff and to equip," said Rob Miller, director of Riverside County Animal Services.
Miller says now that the economy seems to be doing a little better, the shelter is up and running.
Riverside County Animal Services says everything here is state of the art, and making pets comfortable is the key.
"We built radiant floor heating and cooling so that through the cold winter months we can pipe hot water through the slab and actually warm that slab so that the dogs have a warm place to lay," said Miller.
There are also condos for the kitties.
"They have a private area where their litter box is where they can go in out of the public's view and use the litter box, which is kind of funny but it actually lessens the stress completely on a cat when its in this type of an environment," said Frank Corvino, deputy director of Riverside County Animal Services.
The shelter will serve unincorporated parts of the San Jacinto Valley, which is good news for residents out here who used to have to drive all the way up to the Riverside facility.
Even though the shelter is now officially open, the grand opening isn't until Saturday. They'll have free lunch for the first 500 people who show up and free vaccinations for anyone who brings their pet there.
