A tale of two shelters: A closer look at Bonneville County’s decision to switch animal shelters

IDAHO FALLS — Bonneville County’s caller determination to transportation its animal shelter services statement to Snake River Animal Shelter (SRAS) — ending its statement pinch nan Idaho Falls Animal Shelter (IFAS) — is raising interest among immoderate animal lovers that region residents will suffer entree to nan metropolis shelter’s Trap, Neuter, Release (TNR), euthanasia and crematorium programs.

“Beginning July 1, each stray animals recovered aliases collected extracurricular of Idaho Falls metropolis limits successful nan unincorporated areas of Bonneville County will beryllium handled astatine nan Snake River Animals Shelter,” nan Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office announced successful a news release.

SRAS presently holds nan animal shelter work contracts for unincorporated Bonneville County, nan metropolis of Ammon, Ucon and Iona.

Bonneville County Sheriff Sam Hulse said nan alteration was brought astir successful a desire to beryllium fiscally responsible and little costs for its animal shelter program.

In fiscal twelvemonth 2022, nan region had 330 full impounds, and successful fiscal twelvemonth 2021, it brought successful 350 impounds, he reported.

“We were looking astatine what’s our opportunities present to to create immoderate savings. … I really gave 1 of my deputies nan work to spell retired and measure wherever we were astatine pinch nan animal shelter and to look astatine what different options were retired there,” Hulse said.

Bonneville County’s erstwhile statement pinch nan IFAS extended backmost astatine slightest 54 years to a memorandum signed successful 1970.

But nan Sheriff said costs kept increasing, and Snake River Animal Shelter’s bid for an first statement of $150,000 annually came successful $46,000 little than nan Idaho Falls Animals Shelter’s offer.

SRAS precocious opened a brand-new, 1,200-square-foot K-9 Academy training installation successful May, freeing up abstraction for 7 caller kennels.

“We person abstraction now to guarantee that we are still continuing pinch our superior ngo of helping individuals who request to surrender their pets to us, while besides return taking attraction of our section residents’ mislaid and recovered animals arsenic well,” said SRAS Executive Director Michelle Ziel-Dingman.

Currently, SRAS offers 31 kennels. In 2022, it had 1,007 intakes of cats and dogs and 946 adoptions.

IFAS provides 22 regular canine kennels, 6 quarantine kennels and 24 feline kennels. Last year, astatine nan Idaho Falls Animals Shelter, 1,247 dogs were impounded — 515 of these were adopted (41%), 663 (53%) were reclaimed, 52 were transferred (4%) 10 were euthanized (1%) and 7 had different unrecorded outcomes. Similarly, 890 cats were impounded — 576 of these were adopted (64%), 41 were reclaimed (5%), 171 were transferred (20%), 92 were euthanized aliases died astatine nan vet (10%) and 10 had different unrecorded outcomes (1%).

Both shelters are “no kill” shelters.

‘Apples and oranges’?

On May 31, nan Bonneville County Commissioners and Hulse sent a missive to nan City of Idaho Falls and nan IFAS, providing 30 days announcement that their erstwhile statement would beryllium terminated.

But Lynn Alderson, a retired veterinarian pinch 38 years acquisition who useful 1 time a week astatine nan IFAS, said that comparing nan 2 organization’s budgets is “compar(ing) apples to oranges.”

“There’s nary measurement (SRAS) tin do that cheaper connected a per animal basis,” she said.

Alderson said nan metropolis shelter provided a highly-effective Trap, Neuter, Release programme that captured, fixed and released feral cats to support down nan chaotic feline organization successful nan region and city. That programme is not included successful nan county’s existent statement pinch SRAS.

Last year, 552 feral cats were trapped. Of these, 531 were neutered/spayed and released (96%); 9 cats had already been fixed and were vaccinated, microchipped, receptor tipped and returned (2%); and 12 were euthanized (2%).

The Idaho Falls Animals Shelter besides offered discounted rates for pet cremation and euthanasia services that are not included successful SRAS’s caller statement for region residents.

“The questions came up, well, is it nan aforesaid level of service? There’s folks that person different concerns,” Hulse said. “My constituent would be, ‘Hey, fto america do this for a minute.’ Snake River, to our knowledge, is doing a awesome job.”

Responding to nan concerns, Ziel-Dingman said nan region gets to find nan level of work it wants to provide.

“The entity who contracted our services gets to take really payer dollars are spent. We do not,” she wrote successful an email to EastIdahoNews.com. “I will adhd that successful caller discussions, I’m happy to study that Bonneville County is unfastened to assisting america pinch TNR costs!”

She besides added that her shelter is presently looking to prosecute a full-time veterinarian, train a euthanasia tech and will instrumentality a “very robust TNR programme erstwhile we person a afloat clip vet hired.”

In nan interim, “We person been TNRing cats, arsenic galore arsenic we tin for nan past year, and that’s cats from each complete nan area. … We do person a afloat functional surgical suite and vet session wrong our installation pinch 2 surgical tables, 2 surgical lights,” she said. “We tin do betwixt 30 and 40 spay and neuter surgeries a time correct present wrong our clinic.”

But Alderson worries location is simply a nationalist veterinarian shortage and says SRAS’s advertised costs of $90,000-$100,000 annually is not competitory pinch backstage clinics.

Alderson is besides concerned that nan caller statement was ne'er put retired for bid. She believes it is simply a conflict of liking that Snake River Animal Shelter is acquiring these contracts astatine nan aforesaid clip its executive director, Ziel-Dingman, serves connected nan Idaho Falls City Council.

Ziel-Dingman responded straight to these concerns, saying each of nan city’s financial accusation is publically available.

“A ineligible conflict of liking is that I would person to make a ballot that created money successful my pocket,” she said. “I person made zero votes arsenic a City Council personnel related to immoderate of these things. I’m not nan constabulary liaison, truthful I person not been privy to immoderate assembly liaison speech related to immoderate of these issues pinch Chief (Bryce) Johnson.”

Hulse agreed that location was nary conflict of liking successful nan agreement.

“We’re bidding pinch nan entity of Snake River, not nan individuals,” he said. “So I understand that they person a abstracted governing board, and that’s who we’re bidding with.”

Bonneville County Commissioner Roger Christensen besides confirmed that services contracts don’t person to beryllium bid out.

Ziel-Dingman said Snake River Animal Shelter is excited to beryllium capable to supply value shelter services to nan county.

“We consciousness for illustration we are getting paid a adjacent value, you know, a adjacent complaint for nan services that we’re providing. We’re very comfortable pinch that,” she said.

With nan savings from nan contract, Bonneville County intends to prosecute a caller animal power officer.

“They’ve only had 2 animal power officers to grip nan full county, and they had requested nan caller one,” Christensen said.

Impacts connected nan Idaho Falls Animal Shelter

Idaho Falls Police Department Deputy Chief Jeremy Galbreaith said nan cancellation of Bonneville County’s statement pinch nan metropolis animal shelter came arsenic a surprise.

“Our statement was for conscionable nether $200,000, and truthful that’s mislaid revenue,” he said.

As a result, nan IFAS will initially suffer 2 full-time animal power serviceman positions successful April 2025. The shelter is besides cutting backmost connected 60% of hours for its part-time staff.

“This wounded nan metropolis of Idaho Falls and wounded nan animal shelter. We’re scrambling to beryllium capable to recover. It was a important loss,” Idaho Falls Police Chief Bryce Johnson said. “… My champion projection is that done attrition we’ll beryllium capable to to person that reduction, and location will surely beryllium much positions mislaid going forward.”

Currently, nan shelter employs 8 full-time animal power officers, a TNR worker and a manager.

“The thought is immoderate other capacity we person successful nan meantime would beryllium repurposed to much codification enforcement,” Johnson said.

The section besides trim nan shelter’s overhead costs by 30%.

“Our shelter is now taking attraction of Idaho Falls residents and Idaho Falls animals only,” Idaho Falls Police Department spokeswoman Jessica Clements said.

If nan Idaho Falls City Council passes a caller interest schedule, region residents whitethorn beryllium capable to usage nan city’s crematorium starting Oct. 1 astatine a higher complaint because nan work cannot beryllium subsidized by metropolis taxpayers. However, euthanasia will not beryllium offered to region residents because it’s excessively clip intensive, Johnson said.

The shelter presently charges $35 for euthanasia compared to astir $80 astatine astir veterinarians, Galbreaith said, though those rates will beryllium increasing.

“The TNR programme will proceed successful nan city, but location haven’t been immoderate benignant of conversations arsenic acold arsenic providing that work for nan county,” Galbreaith confirmed.

Additionally, nan metropolis of Idaho Falls is moving guardant pinch plans to statement nan Idaho Falls Animal Shelter retired to a Humane Society aliases akin organization, Johnson said.

That determination was based connected nan proposal of an International Association of Chiefs of Police study presented to nan Idaho Falls City Council connected March 25 and had thing to do pinch nan nonaccomplishment of nan county’s contract.

Most cities successful nan United States do not run their ain shelter, Johnson said.

“We will beryllium looking astatine nan possibilities of contracting pinch personification to do shelter and (animal) services for us. There should beryllium a petition for qualifications that spell retired sometime successful nan adjacent short while for immoderate vendor that would want to bid connected that potential,” he said.

Moving forward, serving animals

In nan interim, some SRAS and IFAS are focused connected their missions and providing their halfway services.

“We’ve been highly successful successful reuniting, by nan way, and 10 days (into) our contract, correct now, we person 1 Bonneville County stray successful nan building,” Ziel-Dingman said. “It’s sewage 8 applicants connected it … and will beryllium adopted by nan extremity of today.”

“I tin show you that our unit are wonderful,” Clements said. “They attraction a awesome woody astir nan animals. … We’re rather proud of nan services that they provide, and we expect that to continue.”

Clements emphasized that nan 2 shelters person a complimentary relationship.

“It’s well-known successful nan shelter world that different shelters, humane societies, anyone that’s successful nan animal world, we person to activity together,” she said.

Two kittens cuddling. | Courtesy Lynn Alderson