Responsible owners of dogs and cats license their pets. Licensed animals are easier to reunite with their owners if they stray, and the money generated by the license fees goes to fund much-needed animal control officers and programs.
Those license fees are in the process of being increased, and for good reason. It’s been 13 years — that’s 91 dog years — since the fees were raised. Paul Scarpelli, the county’s animal control manager, has been on a tour making his case to local governing boards including the Vancouver city and Clark County councils.
Scarpelli says animal control needs another $290,000 or so to operate. The county only has four animal control officers to respond to reports of runaway pets, aggressive dogs and other animal problems in Vancouver, unincorporated Clark County, Yacolt and other jurisdictions as needed. The size of the team hasn’t changed in more than a decade, though the county’s human population has grown dramatically, and presumably so has the pet population.
The added revenue will be used to add a fifth animal control officer and buy a fifth vehicle, plus purchase some new equipment such as radios, uniforms and computers. It will also fund a new community cat program. Officers will capture feral animals, which will be brought to a shelter. There the cats can be examined, vaccinated and spayed or neutered, then returned to where they were captured. The goal is to control the population growth of these homeless cats so that fewer will have to be euthanized. The program has the backing of the Humane Society for Southwest Washington, Scarpelli told the Vancouver City Council.
The cost of licensing is still a small cost of pet ownership. According to the website moneyunder30.com, a dog costs $695 per year to own, and a cat costs $705. Add several hundred dollars more in costs for a pet’s first year.
Under the new fee schedule, licensing a dog will cost $50 per year, or $25 if the animal is spayed or neutered. A cat will cost $40, or $20 if the cat is spayed or neutered. Low-income households and senior citizens may be eligible for a half-price discount. The same costs will apply to residents of Vancouver or the unincorporated area.
To make reunification easier, pet owners will be asked for an email address and a physical address, along with the microchip number if applicable.
Of course, raising the fee increases the risk that people won’t license their pets. That is already a major problem in Clark County, despite a potential fine of $100 per unlicensed pet. Scarpelli estimates that approximately 30 percent of local dogs are licensed, and only about 10 percent of cats. Perhaps pet owners think that since their animals don’t roam, they don’t need to be licensed. But the licensing fee goes toward returning pets that do get out despite their owner’s best intentions, as well as providing care for other animals.
Vancouver has already passed its version of the ordinance, and it will take effect later this month. Clark County councilors have already had one discussion on the issue and are likely to act in February.
Until the new fees are in effect, pet owners can still register their animals under the 2003 fee schedule, which is $16 for an altered dog or $40 for a fertile dog, and $10 for an altered cat or $20 for a fertile cat. For more information, visit https://www.clark.wa.gov/community-development/pet-licensing.
