For the week of August 15 - 21, 2001

Animal shelter cancels dogcatcher contract

Crackdown suggested on unlicensed dogs

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By TRAVIS PURSER
Express Staff Writer

The Animal Shelter of the Wood River Valley will not renew a long-standing contract with local governments to take in stray animals caught by law enforcement. Shelter managers say they are losing money in the deal.

However, the facility will temporarily continue to take in the animals after the contract expires Sept. 30 as long as negotiations with cities and the county on a new contract go well, shelter managers say.

The result of those negotiations could be new rules that make it easier for law enforcement to fine the owners of unlicensed dogs.

Shelter president Tim Gardiner said there are no plans to change the shelter’s unique policy that severely limits euthanasia.

As a nonprofit corporation, the shelter, located west of Hailey, takes in nearly any pet in need of a home. But it devotes a large part of its resources to caring for the 40 percent of its animals that had been caught wandering by police and dog catchers. In return, the shelter gets money collected from dog licenses and impound fees.

But shelter managers believe they are spending more money than they make on impounded animals.

Shelter board member Jim Laski said overall finances are nevertheless balanced due to other revenue sources. Last year, overall shelter expenses were $327,000 while revenues were $334,000.

Most revenue comes from fund raisers such as the annual Paw and Pole cross-country ski event and the Barkin’ Basement thrift shop in Hailey, which raises about $90,000 each year, Laski said.

Even with a balanced budget, not enough money is available for community outreach and to pay workers who now volunteer, Laski said.

One way to generate more money may be to better enforce dog license laws, which require owners to pay $10 each year for spayed or neutered dogs and twice that for dogs that are not fixed. Laski and county Animal Control Officer Kevin McMullen estimate that less than 20 percent of the 10,000 dogs in the county are licensed, resulting in a loss in revenue of $80,000 to $160,000 each year.

In the first six months of this year, the shelter took in $11,477 from impound fees and the sale of licenses, according to a July 24 letter from Gardiner and vice president Christine Ferguson to local governments.

That amount paid for just eight percent of the shelter’s $148,000 in operating expenses during that period, while 40 percent of the shelter’s animal population was brought there by law enforcement.

Shelter managers are trying to determine exactly how much the shelter spends on that 40 percent, Laski said.

One reason most dogs are not licensed, McMullen said, is that the law is hard to enforce. Not licensing a dog is a misdemeanor, which involves a relatively complex legal process given the offense. In his 10 years on the job, McMullen said, he has consequently never issued a citation.

McMullen would like to see the offense changed to an infraction so he could ticket violators like other officers ticket speeders.

McMullen said the shelter could also help increase the number of licensed dogs by creating a mobile licensing van that charged a flat fee for a dog license and immunization. Shelter workers could also sell licenses door-to-door, he said.

Contract negotiations are underway, or soon will be, with Ketchum, Sun Valley, Hailey, Bellevue, Carey and the county, Laski said.

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