Pike County officials debate surrender fees as animal shelter reaches capacity; proposed fee fails

Pike County Fiscal Court members on Aug. 5 discussed an overcrowding crisis at the county animal shelter and rejected a proposed fee structure intended to deter owner surrenders.

The court heard from shelter staff that the facility was at “maximum capacity.” Judge (presiding) reported, “We have a total of 83. 58 are dogs out of the 83.” The court discussed outreach to regional rescues, possible temporary shelter expansion and the need to evaluate potentially vicious animals for public-safety risks.

Judge (presiding) and members said rescues that previously accepted county animals are no longer able to do so, leaving the county to house animals longer. The judge said the county spends “over 430,000 a year on the animal shelter,” citing veterinary, feeding and staffing costs.

Shelter staff member Billy Tussey recommended following other counties by charging owners for surrenders; Tussey said, “I think, we should do like the other counties and charge for owner surrenders.” Discussion included several suggested fee levels. The motion that was put to a roll call proposed a surrender fee of $300 for animals that had not been spayed or neutered and $1.50 for those that had been; the court did not obtain a majority and the motion failed.

Court members discussed next steps: pursuing help from the regional humane society, using off-site adoption locations such as Petco, and possibly adding temporary capacity to the shelter. The court also noted that if animals are found to be vicious or dangerous, they may need to be euthanized after evaluation to protect the public.

The court did not adopt a new surrender fee or a concrete timeline for expanding capacity during the meeting; members instructed staff to continue outreach and reporting back.

County actions and discussions remain ongoing as staff seek humane-society support and other placement options.