Animal shelter missing out on revenue from licenses

By LESLIE COLLINS
Northeast News
May 29, 2013

While the Kansas City Animal Shelter has made strides since KC Pet Project took over operations, pet licensing compliance is still abysmal.

It’s estimated that only 9 percent or 23,000 Kansas City pet owners have licensed their cat or dog with the city, meaning the city is losing out on revenue to operate the animal shelter.

About 17 percent of dogs and 3 percent of cats are registered with the city, said Patrick Egberuare, division manager of the city’s Animal Health and Public Safety. One reason for the low license rate is that cat owners argue that indoor cats don’t need a license, Egberuare said. However, even indoor cats can slip out the door and become lost.

Having a city tag helps Animal Control and the animal shelter to reunite pets with their owners. Those who purchase a city license also receive extra perks, like the free ride home program. The city will waive fees and tickets once a year for a lost, licensed pet. Animal control officers will return the pet to the owner free of charge if the owner is home. No ticket will be issued for running-at-large, either. If the owner can’t be reached, half fees will be assessed at the animal shelter.

It doesn’t make sense to not purchase a city pet license, Egberuare said. One ticket alone for running-at-large costs $75, plus court fees, he said. License fees for an altered or unaltered cat or dog are $10 for one year. All pet licensing fees go directly toward the operation of the city’s animal shelter.

To increase awareness of the city ordinance, the city’s Animal Health and Public Safety Division inserted flyers in monthly water bills regarding Project TLC (tag, license, chip) as well as creating public service announcements with Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, II and Kansas City Mayor Sly James about licensing pets. In addition, all city animal health vehicles now display a sticker with contact information for licensing pets. To date, the city has sold 1,200-plus more pet licenses compared to last year at this time, Egberuare reported.

KC Pet Project Successes

Despite limited funds, KC Pet Project is making the most of its current facility, 4400 Raytown Rd.

In 2012, KC Pet Project took in 7,600 animals at the animal shelter which ranged from dogs to cats to chickens to alligators. Ten out of the 12 months, the shelter had a 90 percent or above “live release rate” and the overall rate totaled 86 percent. According to the national no kill philosophy, a shelter must have a 90 percent no kill rate to be considered a no kill open admission shelter. During the first four months of 2013, the shelter operated with an average 92.4 percent live release rate, said Brent Toellner, president of KC Pet Project.

“If this (live release rate) trend continues through June, we will become the third largest open admission shelter in the U.S. to achieve 90 percent or better live release rates for 12 consecutive months,” Toellner said.

Another success is adoptions, which increased by 54 percent in 2013 compared to 2012, thanks in part to a newly opened adoption center in Zona Rosa. More than 350 pets were reunited with their owners and about 380 pets were transferred to other shelters or rescue groups in 2013.

To use the facility’s space most efficiently, KC Pet Project staff agreed to turn the employee break room into a medical recovery ward to isolate sick animals and unvaccinated puppies from the general animal population.

“It’s important for disease prevention to have places for animals to recover and to stay away from the main adult population,” Toellner said.

Another change is turning the “puppy room” into a public adoption room to increase animal adoptions, he said.

City Council member John Sharp said he thinks it’s “amazing” what KC Pet Project has done with a small, outdated facility. Currently, there are no funds to rebuild the shelter and expanding the shelter is challenging due to the size of the lot.

Since dogs are in tight quarters, it’s vital to create play groups, Toellner said. KC Pet Project recently finished installing play yards and met with a nationally recognized expert, who trained staff on dog play groups. Not only do play groups relieve kennel stress, it provides socialization for the dogs; thirty minutes in a play group is the equivalent to a two-hour walk on a leash, Toellner said. It also allows staff to take note of each dog’s behavior, allowing employees to better match individuals with dogs up for adoption.

During 2013, KC Pet Project secured nearly $45,000 in grants to offer play groups and enrichment programs, emergency veterinary services, promote adoptions, purchase a surgery light, among other initiatives.

City Council member Scott Taylor commended the organization, saying they came in with passion, dedication and fresh ideas.

“You’ve made it clear we’ve made the right decision in having you take this over,” Taylor said.