In December, the El Paso County Board of County Commissioners voted to renew the countyís contract with the Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region.The new contract will cost the county $304,000, an increase of $35,000 from the 2010 contract, but $130,000 less than the county paid in 2008, said Jan McHugh-Smith, president and chief executive officer of the Humane Society.Of that increase, $25,500 will come from an increase in fees, leaving the county with an actual increase of $9,500, said county commissioner Jim Bensberg.The Humane Society has negotiated fee increases with its other clients so the new fees will apply across the board starting Feb. 1, said Erica Meyer, communication specialist for the organization.In addition to El Paso County, 12 other government entities within the county have contracts with the Humane Society for animal control and/or sheltering, including Colorado Springs, Fountain, Monument, the Air Force Academy, Manitou Springs, Fort Carson and Peterson Air Force Base, said Humane Society vice president Leslie Yoder.The countyís contract with the Humane Society covers unincorporated urbanized areas along I-25 and Highlands Ranch, whose residents asked for coverage several years ago, said Fran St. Germain, county administration manager.Falcon is the only urbanized area in unincorporated El Paso County thatís not covered by the countyís Humane Society contract, said former commissioner Wayne Williams.No contract means the Humane Society will not send an animal control officer to pick up stray, injured or problem animals, Yoder said.However, the Humane Society will respond to calls in areas were thereís no coverage if the call is initiated by the Sheriffís Office, said Joe Stafford, the Humane Societyís director of field services.The patchwork of contracts often makes it difficult to understand the Humane Society services available to residents.ìOur officers and dispatchers are well-versed on all the different boundaries,î McHugh-Smith said.However, itís difficult when people calling arenít covered.ìWe have to tell them we canít provide service,î she said. ìThat doesnít mean that they canít come in and use the Humane Society. They may have found a stray animal or had animals abandoned on their property. They can still bring them in.îIn 2010, the Humane Society received 484 animals from the Falcon/Peyton 80831 ZIP code, said Erica Meyer, communication specialist for the organization.But itís unlikely the county will extend Humane Society coverage to eastern El Paso County any time soon.ìWeíve had a lot of issues in the eastern part of the county, and many of those folks do not want (coverage) extending to their region,î said county commissioner Amy Lathen, the only commissioner to oppose renewing the contact with its $35,000 increase.ìWeíre going to be looking at a number of budget cuts in the next five years. The last thing we want to do is increase the contract and then cut it back dramatically after that.îSt. Germain said in the last 18 months she received 12 inquiries about getting Humane Society coverage, but no one has filed an official request.McHugh-Smith said the Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region does not receive funding from any national humane society and depends on contracts for animal control services, local donations and user fees.They stray, you payMeyer said animals that come into the Humane Society are first examined to make sure there are no health concerns.Dogs are given a Bordetella vaccine for kennel cough and a distemper vaccine, and cats receive the FVRPC combination shot for respiratory infections and distemper.ìWe donít know when an animal comes in if they have vaccinations. We canít put them into our kennel area if they might make another animal sick,î Meyer said.ìDuring the examination, we scan the entire body for a chip. If we find a chip, we call the chip company to get the ownerís contact information. If an animal comes in with a rabies tag but no owner information, we call the veterinarianís office listed on the tag and get owner information that way. We have several people whose full-time job is to put animals back in touch with their original homes. Thatís always our goal.îWhen redeeming a pet the Humane Society has received as a stray, owners living in non-coverage areas pay an impound fee of $40 for the first offense and $60 for subsequent offenses, plus a boarding fee of $15 per day after the first day, Meyer said.The owner is also responsible for the cost of vaccines: $18 for dogs and $8 for cats, she said. And proof that the petís rabies vaccination has not expired is necessary. Colorado law requires a current rabies vaccine, Meyer said.Pet owners who canít prove their animal has a current rabies shot must also purchase a voucher that can be taken to a veterinarian and exchanged for a rabies shot, she saidAccording to www.hsppr.org, 40 percent of lost dogs and 8 percent of lost cats are reunited with their families. The holding period is a minimum of five days.
