Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Animal Services topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Animal Shelter Advisory Board reports capacity strain and proposes DocuPet licensing
Summary
The Animal Shelter Advisory Board told the council it has shifted from enforcement to sheltering, is moving to quarterly meetings and is exploring outsourcing dog licensing to DocuPet to improve field lookups and reminder emails; staff said intake is about 80% public with a three-week wait and adoption rates are slower this season.
Arlen, chair of the Animal Shelter Advisory Board, briefed the council on the board’s shift from enforcement toward animal sheltering and on operational changes since the new shelter director arrived. He said the board has moved to quarterly meetings, broadened membership to include trainers, groomers and veterinarians, and is pursuing ordinance updates to increase owner accountability.
"We'd like to create ordinances that make owners more accountable," Arlen said, adding the board gets frequent complaints about unleashed dogs on walking paths. Arlen told council members the shelter manages intake so roughly 80% of animals are public intakes and the remaining capacity is reserved for field officers; waiting lists run about three weeks currently and adoptions are slower this season.
Board members described a potential licensing contract with a private vendor, DocuPet, that would collect convenience fees from owners and return licensing fees to the city. A shelter representative said the company would handle online licensing, send renewal emails and allow field officers to look up license data in the field. "They would collect convenience fees, but otherwise all the licensing fees would be given back to the city," the speaker said.
Council members asked whether setup or subscription costs would fall to the city. The board said DocuPet would waive the usual setup fee (reported at about $5,000) for the city as an early adopter in Idaho and that the vendor funds itself by offering optional retail upgrades such as custom tags and collars. The board also confirmed early/discount licensing in May remains in effect.
The board asked the council to keep the shelter’s budget as-is while staff pursue ordinance changes and licensing options intended to improve compliance and reunification rates. No formal council action or vote occurred during the update; staff will return with any proposed ordinance language and contract terms if the DocuPet option proceeds.
