Jurupa Valley shelter break-in: $20,000 reward offered

JURUPA VALLEY, Calif. (KABC) -- A $20,000 reward is being offered for the arrest and conviction of those responsible for breaking into the Riverside County Animal Shelter in Jurupa Valley.

It all started Sunday morning when an employee arrived at the shelter to find several of the dogs running loose. In total, 22 of the shelter's kennels had their locks cut off.

Not only did several dogs escape, four of them were found dead. Two of them, a German shepherd and a pit bull, were presumably hit by cars. The causes of death for the other two, a Chihuahua and a Yorkshire terrier, were unclear.

Blood was found smeared on the ground, walls and several other areas at the shelter.

The shelter staff do not know who could have done this or how the suspect or suspects got in.

"We're upset that somebody purposefully could have caused this havoc - for animals to end up dead at our shelter. We're in the life-saving business," said John Welsh with Riverside County Animal Services. "Yes, our shelter deals with euthanasia, but we also deal with thousands of lives saved every year. Our staff are here to try and get animals back to their owners."

The Riverside County Animal Services staff want to make sure that all of the missing dogs are found, because it is presumed that they all have owners out there who are still looking for their pets.

As of midday Monday, two of the missing dogs were located. Shelter workers are trying to find their owners or get them new homes.

The Yorkshire terrier that was found dead actually had a microchip, but its owner was not yet contacted.

The shelter is working with the Riverside County Sheriff's Department and reviewing surveillance footage in hopes of finding possible leads in the case. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.