Broken locks lead to discovery of missing dogs at CA animal shelter, officials say

Two people broke through locks to get into a California animal shelter and snatch three dogs, officials said.

Workers at Jurupa Valley Shelter discovered broken locks on Sunday, April 24, Riverside County Animal Services said. They then noticed three dogs vanished from the shelter.

Two of the dogs were kenneled together, and the third was alone in a different building.

Officials said surveillance video shows two people getting into the building at about 2:30 a.m. and leaving with the dogs off leash.

“It is believed the dogs were stolen by the presumed owner and his accomplice, possibly a woman,” Animal Services said in a news release. “All three dogs were in protective custody kennels after they were impounded on April 21.”

They were impounded after Animal Services responded to an incident during which a person was bitten by a dog.

When the officer arrived where the bite happened, he found one dog roaming with no leash, and the two others were tethered to a fence, officials said.

“No one was present. In the interest of public safety and since the animals did not have food or water, he impounded all three dogs,” Animal Services said.

California state law requires animal control officials to investigate when an animal bites a person, according to Riverside County Animal Services. The animal must be quarantined for 10 days.

The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department is working with Animal Services to investigate the incident.

This story was originally published April 27, 2022 at 10:42 AM with the headline "Broken locks lead to discovery of missing dogs at CA animal shelter, officials say."