PORT ANGELES — A new contract between Clallam County and the Olympic Peninsula Humane Society cuts funding to the animal shelter by 4 percent, lifts a cap on licensing revenue that the Humane Society can collect and authorizes it to turn dogs and cats away.
The three Clallam County commissioners on Tuesday approved the one-year, $99,674 agreement retroactive to Jan. 1.
According to the agreement, the Humane Society is not obligated to accept a dog or cat if the animal will create a serious health risk, if a health risk exists in the shelter or if it would put the shelter over capacity.
“We’re allowing the animal shelter to turn animals away,” Clallam County Sheriff Bill Benedict said.
The new agreement also lifts a $20,000 cap for pet licensing and kennel licensing revenue.
Last year, the county paid $103,000 for sheltering services. The $3,326 decrease was part of a 4 percent across-the-board budget cut in the Clallam County Sheriff Office this year.
Quarterly reports will keep tabs on the number of licenses sold and revenue collected from the licensing fees.
The Humane Society also has contracts with the city of Port Angeles and the city of Sequim.
Serious crowding
Benedict said the shelter is getting so crowded that bringing an animal to the Humane Society is essentially a death sentence for that animal.
“The public needs to know that,” Benedict said.
“It’s getting so crowded that kitties and puppies die of respiratory disease or other things.”
Benedict and Humane Society President Sue Miles said public eduction is important to the operation of the shelter.
“It’s humans that are causing the problems by not spaying or neutering their animals,” Benedict said.
Drawing a comparison to the Clallam County jail, Benedict said some inmates would have to be released if the jail became too crowded.
Likewise, the Humane Society has a limit on how many animals it can take in, Benedict said.
Clallam County Animal Control Deputy Tracey Kellas — the county’s enforcement arm of the Humane Society — brings all the animals she picks up to the shelter.
Miles said the Humane Society will work with Kellas on licensing inspections and public education.
The Humane Society will issue kennel licenses for all commercial kennels and catteries in Clallam County. Kennels are required by law to be licensed.
Gray areas
Commissioner Steve Tharinger raised concerns about the gray areas in kennel licensing requirements during Monday’s work session.
“People have a whole spectrum of views on how animals should be treated,” Tharinger said.
“Some people have stricter, tighter philosophical guidelines than others, and how you manage that is important.”
Kennels need to be kept clean, and animals need to be treated humanely, for a kennel to get a license, Miles said.
Benedict said virtually every kennel is Clallam County is compliant with the rules.
“It’s just a matter of going out and inspecting and collecting the fee,” he said.
While the goal of the Humane Society is to euthanize fewer animals — instead putting them into homes — Benedict said the fact remains that nearly half of the animals brought to the Humane Society are put down.
“This community is so used to not even thinking twice about giving up an animal,” Miles said.
“It’s a mentality that we have to start changing.”
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-417-3537 or at rob.ollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.