Animal Control: It's Just That Simple

By Brent Toellner The Kansas City Post In 2006, Kansas City Animal Control Services answered only 20% of incoming requests for service. KCACS is underfunded, under-staffed and some employees lack the skills, or the desire to properly prosecute animal cruelty cases. The few ACS officers who are caring and competent are not given the support they need. Pet licensing revenue, while earmarked for animal control operations is routinely siphoned off into the general fund by elected leaders who have no concept of the fallout from their decisions. KCACS is forced to kill approximately 8000 pets a year – that’s 22 pets a day, yet still our leadership refuses to act. Forget the fact that we’re already paying for these services and that money is being redirected, we live in a civilized society and treating animals like disposable napkins is unacceptable. What if I told you all of these issues could be solved with no prohibitive restrictions on pet owners – including no breed-specific restrictions, no pet limits, no anti-tethering ordinances and no mandatory spay/neuter programs and no increase in taxes? If it sounds too good to be true, it’s not. These are exactly the results that have been achieved in Calgary, Alberta. At the recent Kansas City Dog Advocates' Canine Legislation Conference, Bill Bruce, from Calgary, Alberta outlined the details of how his program has achieved these amazing results: 1) Created a 50% decrease in the number of dog bites/attacks/chases (during a time when the city’s population has doubled). 2) Brought euthanasia rates down to where only 256 animals were killed last year in its entire animal welfare system (including all shelters). All of the animals that were killed were due to behavior or health reasons. The city of about 1 million people did not kill one adoptable animal last year. 3) 90-95% dog licensing compliance KCMO’s is less than 10%) 4) The animal control department's $3.7 million budget is 100% funded through licensing fees and fines. 5) Nearly 80% of stray dogs returned to their owners. 6) 140 dedicated off-leash areas. In 1990 Calgary raised the fines for getting caught with an unlicensed dog from $30 to $250. They made it very easy to license your dog -- online, via phone where “customer service representatives” will take your calls, at your vets office, and kiosks at the animal control office, etc. Every dollar raised from animal licensing (and fines for non-compliance) GOES back into funding animal control -- not back into the city's general fund. Calgary strongly encourages all people who license their dogs and to also have them micro chipped. When a stray dog is found, the animal control officer can instantly scan the the chip, and deliver the dog home free of charge. This home delivery service saves the city money in time and resources by not having to provide food, sheltering and care for these stray animals. If a dog does end up making it to the shelter, its photo is taken and placed on their web page within 15 minutes of the reaching the shelter. It is also given medical care by a licensed veterinarian. If you have a pet I’m sure you just said “Wow!” The security of knowing your pet will be cared for and returned to you is well worth the licensing fee. While Calgary sounds like a utopia for pet owners, the situation in the KC metropolitan area is quite different. I hear stories about local animal controls breaking through locks to steal people's pets based on what breed they think it might be, the massive killing of dogs in our shelters, dogs that are returned to abusive owners, shelters that are supposed to care for these animals even attempting to find the pet a new home; staff not following policy of scanning for a micro-chip; dogs being taken out of someone's loving home and “euthanized” because someone was over the pet limit -- the list goes on. Kansas City should emulate successful animal control programs instead of wasting tax dollars on restrictive, ineffective policies. While I realize that simply taking one city's approach and applying it here would be ill-advised, there is much about Calgary's system that would greatly improve what most of us would admit is a failed policy. Increasing citizen satisfaction of the city services was a campaign promise of Mayor Funkhouser. In order for a revamped animal control policy to be successful, we will need leadership that will demand the policies be followed and laws strictly enforced. We will have to be diligent in our efforts to keep the city council from raiding animal control funds. We must rebuild trust in the system. With the proper leadership in place to implement these self-funding policies we would live in a safer city, decrease the needless killing of healthy animals and create a climate of trust between the city and its citizens. As Bill Bruce would say, “It’s just that simple.”