FAYETTEVILLE — Leaders of the Fayetteville Animal Shelter explained Tuesday why they believe a city-county partnership to construct a shelter near the Washington County Detention Center does not make financial sense for the city.
“We felt that our shelter was adequate the way it was,” said Justine Middleton, city animal services superintendent.
BY THE NUMBERS
Fayetteville Animal Shelter 2010
Animals brought to shelter: 4,563 dogs and cats
Animals from outside the city: 1,650 dogs and cats
Dogs and Cats Adopted: 2,067
Dogs and Cats Euthanized: 1,789
Source: Fayetteville Animal Services
According to a report she presented to the City Council along with Yolanda Fields, director of community services, the city’s shelter at 1640 Armstrong Road has the capacity to house stray animals brought in from the city for the next three decades.
“We should be able to take care of our population and its growth through that time frame and not need an expansion of our facility,” Fields told council members Tuesday.
Any repair or upgrades needed at the shelter could be paid for through the money saved by no longer contracting with Washington County and other cities in the area, Fields said.
According to the report, the city houses many animals for a longer period than what the county and other cities pay for. The shelter charges a $75 one-time fee to house the animals which pays for their care for five days.
Fields estimated 40 percent of the animals from outside the city eventually become available for adoption. She said those animals are housed for 21 days on average.
Fields told the council without having to subsidize animals brought in from outside the city, the shelter would be able to keep operational cost at its 2011 level and use any money saved for capital improvement in 2012 or 2013.
Having a shelter only serving stray animals from the city would also make the shelter more efficient and humane, Middleton said.
“I think it’s going to be more fair to the animals because we’re going to have more staff time to spend with each animal,” she said.
The report estimated the city’s share for a new shelter to house all stray animals throughout Washington County at about $1 million.