Bellevue City Councilman Steve Fairbrother believes the time has come for Blaine County to open an animal shelter of its own.
At a City Council meeting last Thursday, Jan. 11, Fairbrother, a local veterinarian, asked for Mayor Jon Anderson and the rest of the council to back the concept and ask Blaine County to establish such a facility.
The request was met with unanimous support.
Having additional space available in a county-run animal shelter would help alleviate an increasingly problematic dogs-at-large issue taking place throughout the valley, Fairbrother contended. Fairbrother is the owner of the Wood River Equine Hospital in Bellevue.
The loose-dog problem has been a recent concern in Bellevue, particularly after two dogs from within the city reportedly harassed and killed a horse on a property in Muldoon Canyon last fall.
The horse, a miniature breed owned by Muldoon Canyon resident Tom Riney, was killed in the early afternoon of Oct. 2, 2006, after the dogs apparently burrowed under a fence to get into a pasture. Two other animals belonging to Riney—a miniature horse and a burro—were also injured when the dogs reportedly tore at their heads.
One of the dogs involved in the incident—a pit bull—was shot and killed at the scene. The other dog—a black Labrador mixed-breed—was caught and later euthanized at the Wood River Valley's only animal shelter, Animal Shelter of the Wood River Valley, which is privately run.
Located west of Hailey in Croy Canyon, the existing animal shelter is a nonprofit, community-based organization largely funded by fundraising efforts and private donations.
Outside of Blaine County, many local governments operate their own animal shelters, Fairbrother said.
Still, Fairbrother made it clear he believes the existing animal shelter's services are valuable and should definitely continue. Staff at the Animal Shelter of Wood River Valley are just too overwhelmed, he said.
No matter where such a facility is built, Bellevue City Council members all agreed it needs to happen, and soon.
"I don't really care where it goes, as long as there is one," Fairbrother said.
One thing that's almost sure to create controversy is Fairbrother's contention that, unlike the Animal Shelter of Wood River Valley, a county animal shelter might be run as a "kill" facility if animals aren't adopted within a certain time period.
Loose dogs caught in Bellevue result in a drain on the city's budget because the animal shelter charges Bellevue and other communities for the costs associated with capture and transportation.
"We just can't afford to pick up dogs," Fairbrother said.
Loose dogs are a costly problem for all who live in Blaine County, Councilman Shaun Mahoney said.
"I'm paying for all these people who can't take care of their pets," Mahoney said.
