UPDATE | Sept. 3, 4 p.m.
During their regular city council meeting on Tuesday, the Henderson City Council voted unanimously to pass increased animal shelter fees for the first time in a decade.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
HENDERSON (KTNV) — On Tuesday, Henderson City Council is set to consider raising fees at the city animal shelter for the first time in a decade.
"What we noticed is that especially our medical costs increased two to three times around COVID, and they haven't gone back to the number they were before COVID," said Danielle Harney, the city's animal control administrator.
The job is a labor of love for Harney, who puts her passion for animals into every decision she makes — especially the tough ones, like the across-the-board fee increases she's proposing now.
Fees for many services, from adoptions to surrenders are likely going up, with the approval of city council.
"By no means are we going outlandish, but we do have to understand that costs overall for everything have gone up, and that includes caring for our pets here at the shelter," Harney said.
It's been a trying summer for local shelters, many of which are seeing soaring intake numbers, along with the added struggle of animals staying at shelters longer.
So, I asked Harney if there's any concerns about whether imposing higher adoption fees might deter people from adopting at a time when adoptions are so sorely needed.
"That's always a fear in the back of my mind. I don't want this to cause us to have an influx of pets staying even longer here. The goal is to get them adopted out as quickly as possible. With that being said, by no means is that going to hinder me from doing any adoption specials and those type of things when we do need to do it," Harney replied. She added, adoption specials are coming around the holidays, so be on the lookout for those deals soon.
She also said the price hikes, while an added financial burden for families looking to adopt, should be within the budget of a family that's looking to make a lasting commitment to a new furry family member.
"Most of our adoption fees are still under what it would cost you for a 45-pound bag of dog food, or just the general health exams and vaccines are at your private veterinarian," Harney said.
Furthermore, even with the fee hikes, Harney said they're focused on incentivizing adoptions, particularly where they're needed the most.
"Such as one of the fee changes we're making, is we're going to make it slightly more cost efficient for people to adopt an older dog versus a younger dog," Harney said.
Right now, the cost to adopt a dog there, no matter the age or size, is $90. Under the new fee schedule, adopting a puppy would cost $150, a dog under 30 lbs. would be $125, and a dog over 30 lbs. would be $100. So, adopting larger, older dogs, who tend to stay at shelters longer, would be a better deal under the new elevated prices.
Another notable change is the license for an unsterilized dog or cat would double from $25 a year to $50. Harney hopes that'll encourage more people to spay and neuter their animals and prevent unplanned breeding and overcrowding at the shelter.
Click here and navigate to agenda item 25 for a full list of the proposed fee changes.
In addition to those price changes, Henderson Animal Care and Control is also moving to its own shelter software system, which Harney says will be more user-friendly and secure. Some building renovations are also expected.
"I've been advised the city has set aside roughly about 3 million dollars to make improvements to our facility here at the animal shelter. The things that are highest on our to-do list is to have an isolation area for sick cats and our sick dogs, to expand on that, as well as to remodel and hopefully expand on our dog kennel areas," Harney said.
Harney hopes all these changes mean a better experience for customers and a more comfortable stay for the animals, with the ultimate goal of them finding a loving home and family that sees them as a lifelong commitment.
How would new fees compare to other local shelters?
You might be wondering how those fee increases would compare to other local shelters, so I wanted to offer some context.
Comparing Henderson's proposed fees to the Animal Foundation — in Henderson, the new adoption fees for puppies would be $150, compared to $200 at the Animal Foundation,according to their website. For small dogs in Henderson, the new fee would be $125 compared to $100 at the Animal Foundation. And for larger dogs in Henderson, the new fee would be $100, compared to $50 at the Animal Foundation.
If you're interested in adopting from Henderson Animal Care and Control, you can visit the shelter at 300 E. Galleria Dr. Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Adoptions close at 4:30 p.m. Click here to see pets available for adoption.
