Mysterious dog illness cancels holiday event for Inland Empire animal shelter

REDLANDS, Calif. (KABC) -- A fundraiser for an Inland Empire animal shelter has been called off due to a mysterious illness that is putting dogs' lives at risk.

The Redlands Animal Shelter was hoping to send its dogs home for the holidays. It was an effort supported by local businesses that had come together to host a holiday event for all dogs.

"We were going to have Santa here and take photos with the dogs, and we were going to have the shelter bring some dogs and hopefully get them adopted," Sonya Rozzy said.

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Rozzy co-owns Olive Avenue Market in Redlands, which planned to host the event. The corner market is a frequent stop for residents and their dogs, but the event was canceled due to a respiratory illness impacting dogs.

"This disease is a novel disease. It has never been seen before," said Dr. Sara Strongin, a veterinarian for the Riverside County Department of Animal Services. "Research is being done to determine the cause of this agent, but as of right now we do not know."

Strongin says some symptoms of the respiratory illness include a lack of energy, fever, sneezing and coughing. The disease can be fatal.

As veterinarians determine how to treat it, Strongin says the best thing to do is keep your dogs away from unknown dogs.

"The number one priority is the safety of the canines, the dogs, so we did not want to jeopardize that," Randy Nordgren said. "So the decision was made that we did not want to put anyone at risk. We did not want to be a super-spreader for this disease, and bring dogs together and cause any harm."

Nordgren operates Dawgs for Dogs, a hotdog stand which donates a portion of its proceeds to the shelter and was one of the event's sponsors. He is hoping others will step in and think of giving to the shelter or adopting a pet.

"The holiday season is a great time for people to look into adoption. Making sure you're the right fit, of course, but this is a time they really need a lot of help," he said.

If your dog is experiencing any respiratory symptoms you should make an appointment with your local vet.