Humane Society warns it may stop city services

Additional correction: In a March 4, article “Humane Society warns it may stop city services,” incorrectly listed the organization’s cost for spaying and neutering animals. The humane society pays $38,800 per year for spaying and neutering. The organization’s total number of 100 kennels was mis-stated. The group has 30 city kennels, 20 county kennels, 19 puppy kennels and 31 cat kennels. Also the agency raised $62,125 last year in adoption fees and does not account for its adoption fees combined with donation revenue as listed in the article.

Clarification: An article in Wednesday�s Desert Dispatch, �Humane Society warns it may stop city services,� did not clearly state the organization�s pay scale. Humane Society employee salaries range from $8.25 an hour to $15 per hour. BARSTOW � Barstow�s animal shelter is losing several thousand dollars each month and may have to stop offering services to the city, according to the organization�s representatives. Bill Cook, volunteer spokesman for the Barstow Humane Society, read a letter to the City Council on Monday seeking to double the $10,000 monthly funding the shelter receives for animal control services it provides to the city. Cook said that if the city does renegotiate its contract soon, the Humane Society will have to discontinue services to the city and Barstow residents beginning on June 2. The shelter would remain open on a more limited basis to house animals brought in from San Bernardino County Animal Control, but the closure would affect those seeking animal licenses or wishing to adopt animals, he said. Cook said the shelter regrets the potential closure, but rising operational costs for veterinary expenses and utility bills are causing it to run deficits of hundreds to thousands of dollars each month. The shortages are covered by dipping into the organizations� nearly empty building fund, which should be used to pay for $200,000 in overdue maintenance, Cook said. �The buildings are just rotting away,� he said. Cook said that the organization has attempted multiple times to update its service contract with the city since 1997, when it was last updated, but has been advised to reduce expenses. He said the shelter has reduced the number of animal control officers it staffs from three to one and has operated with nine employees. The shelter is fully staffed at 14. �There�s just nothing more we can take away,� he said. Cook said that unlike other shelters, which can turn away animals when their cages are full, the organization�s contract with the city requires it to accept all dogs and cats brought to the shelter. When the shelter�s 30 cages are full, dogs and cats can be euthanized if space is needed after a four-day waiting period, a process that happens frequently, Cook said. Humane Society manager Carolyn Atsye said that a combination of understaffing, low pay and benefits and the emotional toll of frequently euthanizing animals jobs stressful. �Whenever you�re putting something to sleep and it licks you in the face, it�s a hard thing,� she said. �You have to build a shell around yourself; otherwise you�ll cry yourself to sleep each night.� Two staff members quit in October due to the low pay, she said. The jobs paid minimum wage, but were raised from $8.25 to $15 per hour after the resignations, she said. At Monday�s meeting, the council directed staff to arrange a meeting with the Humane Society to discuss the contract. City spokesman John Rader said that city staff will negotiate with the organization to avoid a shutdown. �It is our full intention to have local shelter and Humane Society services in the city,� he said. Currently when the Humane Society is not available, animal control responsibilities fall to the Barstow Police Department, but the city does not intend to expand the police department�s responsibilities, Rader said. Brian Cronin, division chief with county animal control, said that cities and counties in California are required to have a system in place to license dogs and manage stray or vicious animals. He said that if the Barstow Humane Society were to suspend operations, the city would be legally required to build its own shelter or contract with another group for those services. Cronin said that the Humane Society is negotiating with the county to update its $105,000 yearly contract to house animals found in county areas near Barstow. The organization is seeking a four percent increase to the contract in addition to a $1,200 monthly payment to fund building improvements. The contract will likely be reviewed by the county Board of Supervisors in October, Cronin said. Barstow Humane Society Average monthly cost for spaying and neutering animals: $34,800 Total raised last year in adoption fees and donations $74,000 Average monthly revenue in licensing fees: $2,600 Organization�s operating deficit since July 2007: $7,600 Animals euthanized last year: 635 dogs, 795 cats. Animals adopted last year: 815 dogs, 537 cats Number of kennels: 30 for the city, 20 for the county Contact the writer: (760) 256-4126 or jason_smith@link.freedom.com