Lose a Pony? County Looking for Owner of This Cute Shetland

A wayward pony now in the care of Riverside County Animal Services personnel is ready to be claimed, and county staff Thursday asked for help finding the little equine’s rightful owner.

The 16-year-old black Shetland pony has been sheltered at the Department of Animal Services’ Jurupa Valley facility since Nov. 25, when she was found wandering along the 8400 block of Galena Street, animal services spokesman John Welsh said.

He said a sheriff’s deputy saw the haltered animal trotting along the roadway around 6 a.m. and corralled it in a fenced yard. The residents agreed to keep the Shetland at the location until animal control officers could transport her to the nearby Jurupa Valley shelter.

Welsh said the pony was well-groomed and fed -- unlike most of the horses impounded at the county shelter.

“This pony was loved, and that’s why we’re all wondering, ‘Where’s the owner?”’ said Frank Corvino, deputy director of field services for the Department of Animal Services.

Welsh said theories are the owner may have assumed the little pony was stolen and thus gave up any hope of finding her. He said the same thing happened recently with a tortoise that was claimed by its owner after more than two weeks in the shelter. The county was in the process of transferring the creature to a rescue group when the man showed up.

“He had posted fliers all around his neighborhood ... but didn’t realize his pet was waiting for him at the shelter,” Welsh said.

Anyone who may information that could help reunite the pony with her owner was asked to contact the county at (951) 358-7387, or shelterinfo@rcdas.org.

— By City News Service.