Clark County Dog Shelter at maximum capacity

Clark County Dog Warden Sandi Click said the shelter has been at maximum capacity for months as more people are abandoning their dogs than in previous years.

Click’s office saw an all-time high for dogs retrieved in 2021 with 817 dogs coming into the shelter. The dog warden said this year’s total is on track to be higher than that, with nearly 800 dogs already coming into the shelter so far this year.

Credit: Bill Lackey

Credit: Bill Lackey

The county’s shelter receives calls on a daily basis from people wanting to surrender their pets, Click said. Her employees, too, encounter many owners who refuse to retrieve their pets from the shelters.

Multiple factors contribute to people abandoning animals: economic strain, the pivot away from work-from-home settings and lack of research about the needs of a breed.

The increase is coming at a time where dog license sales – which fund the shelter’s budget – are down, Click said.

According to budget projections for next year, the more than $500,000 dog and kennel fund for the shelter is expected to be completely depleted, and it’s nearly depleted this year.

Credit: Bill Lackey

Credit: Bill Lackey

The Clark County Commission on Wednesday met to discuss the county’s 2023 budget.

“The decision that we will need to make is we either need to reduce our scope of services or we’re going to have to supplement [the dog and kennel fund] from the general fund,” said Clark County Administrator Jennifer Hutchinson.

Donations of dog food, other supplies and cash are valuable. For example, the shelter’s donor fund covers the cost of keeping dogs longer than the state’s required minimum of holding unlicensed dogs for three days and licensed dogs for 14 days.

These donations don’t contribute to the salaries of workers, however. Click said the best thing people can do for dogs at the shelter is make sure they stay-up-to-date on their dog licenses, which cost $22, or purchase licenses for friends who don’t have them for their pets.

Dog licenses are available for purchase through the Clark County Auditor’s Office until Jan. 31. The county is holding a promotion where those who purchase a dog tag before Jan. 1 can be entered into a drawing for pet store gift cards.

The dog warden said the shelter operates 365 days per year regardless of holidays and weather closures, as someone needs to be on-site to care for the dogs at the shelter.

Credit: Bill Lackey

Credit: Bill Lackey

The dog warden’s office and the dog shelter have five full-time employees and four part-time employees, according to Click.

The Clark County Commission in July approved $60,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funding for the Clark County Dog Warden’s office to use to cover wages for increased hours this year.

How to help the Clark County Dog Shelter: