EVERETT, Wash. — A North Sound animal shelter wants to raise its fees—but some worry it may mean more pets on the street.
There is no shortage of adorable, adoptable pets at the Everett Animal Shelter, but there IS a shortage of funds.
“The costs, like everything, go up whether that’s purchasing supplies, staffing -- it certainly costs a lot of money,” Director of Animal Services Glynis Frederiksen explained.
So Glynis says they rely heavily on 300 dedicated volunteers, donations, and fees.
“The last time we raised the fees was about five years ago,” she told us.
The shelter is looking to do it again across the board. The most significant changes are to reclaim fees for people who lost their pets and want them back—jumping from $25 to $100. The price to adopt a puppy has already increased from $300 to $350, without any complaints, Glynis says.
But it’s the cost to surrender a pet that’s raising concerns. Right now it’s $25; the shelter wants to nearly double that. We checked—while Pierce County charges significantly more, King County will take unwanted pets for free.
That’s what Dave Somers did. His dog Hewitt—named after Everett’s Hewitt Avenue where he was almost dumped—instead found a friend for life when a truck followed the Snohomish County Executive for several blocks, first trying to make a sale.
“He pulled up next to me again and said ‘will you take the dog? We’ve got to get rid of the dog.’ And I thought it didn’t look good, two young guys and a dog headed down towards the river—this is exactly what went through my head—and so I said ‘OK, I’ll take the dog,’”
Dave remembered.
Now Hewitt is an honorary Snohomish County employee with nearly 50 dog years of service. Dave worries if Everett raises its surrender fees not every Hewitt will have a happy ending.
“I worry about that. I think there needs to be a lot of flexibility for people because animals need to be taken care of and connected with good homes and if there’s barriers to that—fees—I think that if I was running the place that would be optional,” Dave concluded.
Glynis says they will do their best to work with people who can't afford the surrender fee. The public is invited to weigh in on the changes May 25 at 5:30 p.m. at the animal shelter.