COLUMBIANA COUNTY Commissioner proposes dog-adoption cost increase

The plan is to reduce the number of unwanted dogs that must be destroyed.
By NORMAN LEIGH
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
LISBON -- If Columbiana County Commissioner Jim Hoppel has his way, the cost of adopting a dog from the county pound will soon increase sharply through a plan to limit the number of stray and unwanted dogs.
Hoppel is organizing the final details of a proposal that calls for boosting the cost of dog adoption from $15 to $50.
About $35 of the $50 fee would cover having a dog spayed or neutered and administered a rabies shot, all procedures that would be mandatory under the new program.
The other $15 would pay for a dog license and pound fee, which is the same as now.
"It's a big step forward for our program," Hoppel said of the proposal, which he is developing with input from Angels for Animals, a Mahoning County-based animal shelter.
Veterinarians working with Angels would perform the medical procedures on the dogs.
Vets invited
Hoppel noted that Columbiana County-area veterinarians will be invited to participate, if they can match the $35 price offered by Angels.
Requiring spaying or neutering would ensure that adopted dogs don't procreate, producing more strays and unwanted animals that eventually end up at the pound, Hoppel and Angels for Animals have argued.
Dogs not adopted from the pound are gassed.
In 2002, the pound destroyed 777 dogs, more than twice the number that were adopted.
Hoppel and Angels officials acknowledge that the dramatic increase in adoption costs may initially cause the number of dogs taken from the pound to drop and increase the number being destroyed.
But over time, with fewer unwanted dogs being produced, the spay-or-neuter policy will result in fewer gassings, it's argued.
Initial increase possible
Hoppel and Angel officials also contend that raising the adoption fee to $50 will cause people considering adopting dogs to take the responsibility more seriously.
Officials maintain that the $15 rate encourages dogs' being adopted for bad reasons, such as to chain them outside as watchdogs or to use them for fighting.
Hoppel must present the spay-or-neuter plan to fellow commissioners Gary Williams and Sean Logan for approval before it can be undertaken.
The proposal probably will be brought before commissioners by early December.
If it passes, it will go into effect in January, Hoppel said.