ANIMAL RESOURCE CENTER Montclair Welcomes New Animal Resource Center T here is now a new place for Montclair residents to call or visit for animal services: The Animal Resource Center (ARC) of the Inland Empire, a joint powers authority formed by the cities of Ontario, Montclair and Chino Hills.
“We do want everyone to spay or neuter their pets,” Thacker said. “We are inundated. In the first 45 days, we had over 1,000 animals come in. Spay and neuter is good for the health of the animal and they’re not making those babies.” All the animals adopted, rescued or released from the center are sterilized. ARC has a Trap-Neuter-Release program in which stray cats are vaccinated, sterilized and microchipped before being released where they were found. “There it knows where it’s food, water and shelter is,”
CLINT THACKER ARC EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
“Any service that residents would have gone to Inland Valley Humane Society (IVHS) for, they would now come to us,” said ARC Executive Director Clint Thacker. Montclair ended its contract with IVHS on June 18. The temporary ARC location on Shearwater Street in Ontario celebrated its grand opening on Aug. 14. A permanent location will open in 2027-28, also in Ontario. Services at the center include animal sheltering, lost and found, licensing and microchipping, wildlife response and adoptions. The center is open every day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. for adoptions. No appointment is necessary and potential adopters can walk the facility on their own and request to meet pets of interest in an inside or outdoor space.
Thacker explained. “These programs are not perfect but they are showing signs of reducing the population of feral cats in those areas.” If you find a lost pet, Thacker
What: Animal Resource Center of the Inland Empire Services: Sheltering, Lost & Found, Adoptions, Fostering, Volunteering, Licensing, Microchipping, Wildlife Response Where: 1630 Shearwater St., Ontario Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., seven days a week Field Services Phone Number: (909) 321-1080 To Volunteer or for more Information visit our website:
says to first post on social media and walk the neighborhood to look for the owners. ARC can scan for a microchip and take down information about the animal to help reunite owner and pet. Bringing the animal to the center
should be the last resort, only because it could be exposed to animal diseases, he said. If a lost pet is brought to the center, it will be examined and given vaccines and the staff will endeavor to find its home. He wants residents to know that animal welfare is their first concern. Two ARC programs that are essential on the road to preventing euthanasia and caring for all the animals are fostering and volunteering. Fostering involves caring for an animal in your home, which frees up
https://www.cityofmontclair.org/ departments/animal-resource-center- of-the-inland-empire-arc/
ARC offers microchipping for $25. The
chip is linked to ARCs database
with all the owner’s information. “If the animal
space at the center. The animal still belongs to ARC and they provide all the necessary medical care. “It’s a great program for people who want to care for all different animals from dogs and cats, to tortoises and horses,” Thacker said. Volunteer opportunities range from offsite fundraising and data entry to onsite cleaning, maintenance, greeting and interaction with the animals. The center just held its first dog-walking class for volunteers. The greatest need now is cat kennel cleaning and other tasks including laundry. Those interested in fostering or volunteering, must first fill out on application online. “Our board of directors is very pro-life for animals and they want us to do the best we can for the animals, which is why we have many programs to do just that,” Thacker said. He is encouraged by an increase in adoptions and growing relations with many rescue organizations that are beginning to care for more animals. Unfortunately, many strays continue to arrive.
has a microchip, it’s 30% more likely to get back to the owner. If the microchip is updated with current information, there’s an 80% return rate. So, it’s important to update the chip, which we can do here,” Thacker said. There is a veterinarian on staff, but the center does not currently provide vaccines, spay/neuter and other vet services. Thacker said these services are planned for the permanent location.
“I am a numbers guy. I like to make decisions by numbers. The numbers tell a story,” Thacker said. “But all of us here in management see these numbers as individual animals. In the end, we do what’s best for each animal.”
8 | CITY OF MONTCLAIR | 2025 ANNUAL NEWSLETTER
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