Clark County delays decision on pet shelter contract after long hearing

Clark County commissioners delayed taking any action on a contract for animal shelter services Tuesday after a nearly three-hour marathon meeting with testimony from animal lovers who encouraged them to consider other options.

Commissioners decided to talk about the issue more at a March17 meeting before making a decision about a contract with The Animal Foundation, which holds the agreement to take care of stray animals for the 72-hour legal hold period.

Residents, many of them part of No-Kill Las Vegas, criticized the county for not opening up the shelter services to a request for proposals, which would allow others besides the foundation to submit formal bids. Bryce Henderson, president of the organization, said he has a developer and land near the corner of Decatur Boulevard and Russell Road that could provide an alternative.

Commissioners haven’t yet said they’ll open it up for bidding. At the same time, Henderson said he was encouraged by the county’s willingness to talk more about animal sheltering services.

Henderson said he’ll be drawing up more plan details to bring to the March meeting.

Commissioners stressed that the community as a whole should take ownership of the stray animal issue, not just one group or the Animal Foundation.

“No one’s mentioned the biggest challenge we have, and that’s dumb pet owners,” Commissioner Larry Brown said.

The idea was also floated that No Kill-Las Vegas could complement the foundation with additional services — not replace it entirely. Henderson said he’ll be drawing up different scenarios to present to commissioners.

The Animal Foundation also contracts with the cities of Las Vegas and North Las Vegas, providing services on a regional scale. Its proposal includes an interlocal agreement that would continue the regional approach.

Bonnie Rinaldi, a consultant for the foundation, pointed to statistics that show fewer animals are being brought to the shelter and fewer are being euthanized.

In 2010, 27,981 dogs and cats were euthanized, a figure that dropped to 13,187 in 2014. Meanwhile, fewer animals are coming in, too. That figure was 43,367 in 2010, which was down to 31, 437 in 2014.

Rinaldi stressed there’s still work to be done.

“This is a community problem and the entire community needs to be involved to solve this problem,” she said.

Attention has focused in the past year on the county’s shelter services because of a need to renovate the foundation’s Lied Animal Shelter that houses animals.

The county’s agreement with the Animal Foundation ends June 30.

Despite its name, the local “No Kill” group doesn’t believe euthanasia is entirely avoidable. The goal is 90 percent or better, Henderson said.

Contact Ben Botkin at bbotkin@reviewjournal.com or 702-405-9781. Find him on Twitter: @BenBotkin1.