A local dog-rescue organization was left holding the bill after county officials found the group was failing to pay for dog tags for canines adopted from the county dog shelter.
Friends of the Shelter Dogs is a small group in Athens that rescues dogs from the Athens County Dog Shelter. They work to place dogs in foster homes and no-kill rescue groups as well as find homes for the dogs they rescue.
Last week, it came to the attention of the county auditor and the Athens county commissioners, who oversee the Athens County Dog Shelter, that the Friends of the Shelter Dogs group has not been paying for the tags for dogs they rescue from the county shelter.
The Friends of the Shelter Dogs have been not been charged the $3 minimum fee for rescuing dogs at the Shelter because the commissioners never adopted this policy, said Athens County Commissioner Larry Payne.
“The county auditor and prosecutor both agree that state law clearly states that all dogs have to be licensed,” Payne said.
Paying for the dog tags was an economic struggle that the Friends of the Shelter Dogs group had not foreseen.
“We … had no choice (but to pay) in the last three weeks and we really needed that money for veterinarian bills,” said Anne Cornwell, bookkeeper for the organization.
For the past three weeks, the organization has been paying $14 for dogs who are under 10 months and $24 for older dogs who have not been spayed or neutered, totaling more than $600, Cornwell said.
The fee has not only had an economic impact, but one on time requirements as well, Cornwell said, which led the organization to ask the commissioners for the ability to have an amount prepaid to the county for dog tags and could be supplemented if needed.
During Tuesday’s meeting, the commissioners discussed the licensing fee and decided to lower the tag fee to the state minimum of $3.
Friends of the Shelter Dogs also requested that the commissioners make the fee change retroactive for the past three weeks, which would save the organization about $500, Cornwell said.
Decisions about a system of prepaying and a refund have not yet been made, but overall, Cornwell said it was a great meeting.
“We had a lot of supporters and people show up who said that …we need to work together to save the dogs,” said Cornwell.
cw105510@ohiou.edu
