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Are Surrender Fees the Answer?

July 30th, 2010

I don’t think anyone who has been involved in pet rescue or who have volunteered at a shelter hasn’t wondered if people really know what happens to their pets once they are relinquished to the “pound.”

Most of the general public haven’t witnessed the gruesome reality on kill day.

Springfield Missouri Animal Control goes as far as to tell people who are relinquishing their pets that they will be euthanized if a rescue doesn’t claim them, but that hasn’t deterred some from handing their pets over, sometimes on an annual basis, according to Randy Barnts, supervisor at the facility.

That’s why, he said, the municipal shelter instituted a new policy on July 1. They began charging a $20 surrender fee.

Barnts says the fee covers vaccinations and deworming, as well as boarding for a five day hold period, and if a rescue doesn’t claim the animal, it covers killing it (the shelter is 40 years old and not set up for public adoptions).

“We’ve seen private facilities charge surrender fees, but seeing municipalities doing it is not really a trend we’re seeing,” says Betsy McFarland, who works for the companion animal section of the Humane Society of the United States.

That’s most likely because municipal shelters were built to help curb the dumping of animals that will either become wild and roam in packs, becoming a danger to the public, or die terrible deaths from disease or starvation.

Springfield Animal Control took in 2,500 dogs last year and 2,000 cats (some of those were picked up as strays). Barnts says he doesn’t know if their numbers have increased this year, but added that charging a surrender fee has been in discussion for at least a year within the city and was finally approved by the city council. “We have repeat turn ins, people will get a puppy and bring it in a year later so they can get another one,” says Barnts. “At least with the fee, they will have to take at least a little responsibility.”
He says it’s always a concern that people will simply dump their animals rather than paying the fee, but he says only time will tell how the new policy is working.

I’m not sure that in a state that has always been in the top five with regards to being home to puppy mills and in an area with so many people having a disposable mindset to animals, that charging a surrender fee will deter anyone or make them take responsibility.

It looks like more education might be needed.

What do you think about municipal shelters charging surrender fees, readers?

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