On 4/16/2021, I was made aware of a Facebook post where dog named Thor was listed as, "Shy Dog Needs Rescue." The description of Thor stated that he is a 3 year old, intact male, shepherd/lab mix. Thor had been adopted from their shelter in 2019. He was found running-at-large in July of 2020 and was returned to the owner (obviously, still intact). Again, on 3/17/2021, Thor was found running-at-large and was brought into the shelter (again, still intact). This time, his "adopters" did not claim him.

I immediately questioned the individual who made the post, Steve. I asked why the dog had been adopted out intact. He referred me to Eve Demvol (position within the organization is unknown, maybe volunteer). Eve passed the blame off to the adopter/s, calling them irresponsible. While it's clear to me that the adopter/s were far from responsible, Weber County Animal Services let Thor and their community and tax payers down more than the adopter/s ever did.

The more I asked questions and researched, I discovered that Thor's case actually isn't abnormal for the city of Ogden (and I discovered dozens of other cities as well but I'm just focusing on Ogden for this petition). In particular, at Weber County Animal Services, their procedure for an adopted pet includes offering a $40 spay/neuter voucher to offset the cost and that is included in their $85 adoption fee.

Per WCAS Adoption Application, which can be found on their website, the adopter agrees to spay/neuter the pet within 30 days of adoption or the animal will be confiscated in accordance with the local law. So why was Thor returned to his owners when he was found running-at-large the first time? He was adopted several months before and the owners were clearly in violation of their agreement with the shelter.

In the animal welfare community, it is a widely known fact that unaltered animals are more likely to wander in search of a mate. Thor confirmed that to be an accurate fact as he was caught be animal control twice in 2 years. Another note on Thor's rescue ad said, "Both times when Thor was apprehended by Animal Control, they had a very hard time catching him. He would growl and run away from them. Thor has always been kennel reactive/afraid each time he has come in, but does warm up to us within a couple of days." Another commonly known fact is that unaltered animals display more signs of aggression than altered animals. What if Thor came across a small child or another stranger while he was roaming and displayed these behaviors? He might have injured someone, been hurt himself or shot by someone not educated in dog behavior. While that is a hypothetical scenario, this wouldn't have even been an issue had the dog been neutered before it was adopted.

So, what is the solution? Start by allocating more funds directly to the shelter and stipulate that they cannot be used for merit increases for a set period of time. The reasoning behind that is that the shelter will need to use the bulk of the funds initially to get the program rolling. Earned and deserved increases are more sustainable when funds start coming in from adoption fees and other sources like donations.

Next, partnering with a local vet is crucial. Many veterinarians will offer discounts to rescue's and shelter's, especially when they're bringing in large volumes of animals which will increase their bottom line. By adopting out animals that are already spayed/neutered, vaccinated and microchipped, the shelter can greatly increase their adoption fee (my rescue adult dog adoption fee is $350 for reference, however, I do provide more medical care for my animals than the typical county shelter). This is a great "selling point" in the adoption process because the average spay/neuter will run the adopter about $200. In addition, DHPP (or whatever variation) and the booster shot will run the adopter around $40+ on average, the Bordetella vaccine runs another $20, and the Rabies shot runs another $20+. The microchip cost can range from $20-$50. Remember, these are retail values. The cost to the county would be a fraction of that, especially if you teach staff to safely administer vaccines and microchips on their own.

In addition, the county tax payers will save on the cost of gathering and disposing road kill from the decreased number of roaming animals that were instead, fixed. The trickle-down effect will decrease the number of stray and unwanted animals in your shelter because there will be less "oops! litters" which again, will save the tax payers money. There will be less adoptable animals euthanized to save space which will save tax payer money and in general. A spay/neuter program like this would modernize your county and be the example that other cities and counties need.

Animals have been shown to be incredibly therapeutic to a wide diversity of people. The more fixed and vaccinated animals you can get safely into homes, the more happy families you will have. Since spaying/neutering your animals also decreases their risk of cancers and increases their lifespan but an average of 3-5 years, the pets in your county will be around a lot longer to provide much needed companionship for your senior and disabled residents.

The presence of a dog or cat has been shown to reduce stress, anxiety and depression. In addition, people are encouraged to take their pets out for walks and exercise which will improve health and lower medical costs. Is that a stretch? Maybe. But how many seniors do you know that have been cooped up inside their home, terrified to leave since the beginning of COVID. A healthy pet that they can take for a walk without risk of contracting disease (because they were vaccinated) is a great reason to get Grandma or Grandpa out to stretch their legs for a bit.

The main take away here is that the benefits to your people are undeniable. It all starts with is spaying and neutering the animals that come through your facilities. A $40 voucher is not good enough. Clearly, people are not using it and there isn't enough time, money or resources for the staff or volunteer's to follow up to enforce your own contract which is, frankly, embarrassing. You have an opportunity here to do something great with an upfront investment of tax dollars that will pay off for your residents in the long run. Several people, including staff and volunteer's agree and vouch for all of the points presented. Please do not push this petition to the side of your desk. You have an opportunity to do something great.