Dogie Jail Budget Woes

My recall on the cost of the dogie jail was about $2 million give or take a few bucks when it was constructed.  It was built with a bond election and approval of the voters who took the time to actually vote.  Here we are a decade later in the middle of one of worst recessions in my lifetime.  The only thing worse was the Great Depression of the 1930's.

 Canyon County animal shelter budget has been cut again this next budget year and the place has already fallen into a state of disrepair that reflects the lack of taxpayer cash to properly maintain the place. (Brings back memories of the Daile Haile Jail maintenance issues the dogs don't have the ACLU to bring things to a head.)

A month or so back I made a trip out to the animal shelter in search of a replacement dog for the one I had to have put down due to old age and poor health.  I was really dismayed at the lack of keeping the place up to snuff as a public asset.  In addition, the smell in the area where the dogs cleared for adoption was not at all pleasant.  I could not wait to make my exit from the place but understood the budget constraints the shelter is operating under.

In 1974 I worked for the Animal Control Dept. that was a part of the Kern County Health Dept. in Bakersfield, California as a summer job while I was in college.  The animal control problem was out of control in the area and something had to be done.  The Kern County Board of Supervisors made the decision to hire eight people for the summer to go door to do checking dog licenses and rabies vaccinations where there were dogs on the property.  It was not a job for the weak of heart.  We got called everything you can imagine but we covered all 8,000 square miles of the county that summer.  That was the downside, the upside was the compliance for dog licensing and rabies vaccinations went through the roof by people who decided it was time to comply with the dog licensing laws of the county. The Vets in the area also did a land office business in rabies vaccinations.  Me and my fellow doggies inspectors made about $1,500 each that summer.

$7.50/year to license a dog in Canyon County is cheap and will help pay for the animal shelter costs and is really something I viewed as no big deal.  I set it up so the rabies vaccination and the dog license came due at the same time.  My dog got a checkup each time she got her rabies shot.  People who say they love their dogs need to man up and get their dogs into compliance with the laws of Canyon County.  The problem is that laws in general are only as effective as the enforcement of any given set of laws.  The political blow back on dog licensing from otherwise law abiding people can be astounding.

Humane treatment of animals in our animal shelter is a reasonable expectation.  Perhaps it is time for the shelter to be handed over to a non-profit for operation and maintenance with license fees used to support the costs of running the place.