The Athens County commissioners passed a resolution offering a discount on neutered senior dogs from the Athens County Dog Shelter at Tuesday’s meeting
The adoption fee for senior dogs will be the normal tag fee plus $14, costing $34 for neutered senior dogs.
According to the resolution, dogs nine years or older are considered to be senior dogs.
“The dog may get adopted quicker, rather than going to rescue,” Athens County Dog Warden Jeff Koons said.
The deal does not apply to senior dogs that are not neutered, which will cost $44, according to the resolution.
Koons, who suggested the discount, said he was motivated by the deal because of a high amount of older dogs in the shelter.
Since some of the dogs the shelter take in might not have a determined age, the shelter is in charge of determining the age of dogs, Koons said.
“When (the dogs) come in, that’s when we determine the age and check them into the books,” Koons said.
Though dog breeds age differently, having a loose definition of what a senior dog is could create logistical issues for the county, Athens County Commissioner Lenny Eliason said.
“You don’t want to create a situation where somebody can pocket $30 by saying (a dog) is a senior dog,” Eliason said. “It’s better to keep it simple.”
Athens County Commissioner Chris Chmiel discussed the prospect of the county’s hiring one or two interns interested in public administration at the meeting as well.
If the county goes through with this internship program, it will likely look for Ohio University students to fill the spot, Chmiel said.
The proposed intern would deal with public records and other elements of county government, Chmiel said.
The internship is not official yet, and the county is not taking applications at this time.
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