LaSalle County's public-safety committee voted to approve a sheltering agreement with Norway Kennels to provide temporary boarding for stray dogs and animals needing rabies quarantine.

The agreement sets the county's reimbursement rates at $50 per day for a standard stray, and $90 per day for reserved kennels, aggressive animals or rabies quarantine boarding. The contract requires the kennel to provide secure housing, feeding and recordkeeping; the county will invoice monthly and remain responsible for collecting fines and fees from animal owners. The contract also allows the kennel to provide after-hours housing in extenuating circumstances.

County animal-control staff described the arrangement as a short-term solution to the county's lack of an in-county shelter and said Norway Kennels has limited availability this summer. "We've been busy working on a contract with Norway Kennels, and, hopefully, that can kinda serve as the model for any other shelters that want to work with us in the future," the staff member said during committee discussion.

Committee members and shelter volunteers stressed that the kennel is not a full-service open-admission shelter: it primarily boards client-owned animals and reserves space for strays when available. Volunteers and staff warned that unclaimed strays sometimes require euthanasia if no adopter is found after the mandatory holding period. The committee heard that legal holding times are set by state statute: three days for unknown-owner strays, seven days when the owner is known, and a 10-day rabies quarantine when required.

The motion to approve the agreement passed by roll-call vote (mover: Ray; second: Craig). The vote record shows Ron, Craig, Ray, Wally, Tom and Chair Brian Dose voting in the affirmative.

County staff said they will continue pursuing more permanent options, including contracting with additional boarding facilities, exploring a countywide cooperative among townships and municipalities, and considering creation of an administrator or deputy to manage animal-control contracts and quarantine procedures. The committee also received written letters from IVAR and other stakeholders documenting offers of assistance and concerns about summer capacity.

The agreement cites compliance with guidance from the Illinois Department of Agriculture and the Illinois Department of Public Health for rabies quarantine handling and recordkeeping. The county will review the contract terms and begin invoicing when sheltering services commence.