“A catalyst, a ha ha ha ha ha,” said City Commissioner Randy Leonard, in response to a presentation in city council this morning about a new city/county partnership to save lost cats and dogs from being put down in Portland.

“We appreciate your dogged leadership, Randy,” said City Commissioner Nick Fish.

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CAT QUE$TION: IS YOUR KITTY REGISTERED, NEUTERED…?

Hold on. How much is this going to cost? Sure, we’re in a budget pinch, but the program will cost $495,000 to start up in the first year. On top of that, there’ll be ongoing annual costs, for example $750,000 a year for urban services officers, and $616,000 a year for community outreach and education. By year five, the program is expected to cost $1.73m a year to run, but make $1.78m a year in pet registration fees, according to projections by the task force.

But it’s alright. Council, this morning, has passed the task force recommendations to set up the program, but hasn’t committed to funding, just yet. They’re just going to put together an implementation committee. Still…with funding for basic services under threat, it was surprising to this reporter that council voted unanimously in favor of accepting the report this morning, with very little mention of the upcoming “fiscal emergency” resolution that was being agonized over, yesterday.

Right now, only 14% of Portlanders license their pets—even though they’re supposed to, by law. Last year, 4,438 cats and dogs were euthanized at the county shelter, or 45% of the stray pets taken in. So the city/county Animal Services Task Force, convened by Leonard and county chair, Ted Wheeler, is suggesting retiring the licensing program, in favor of a new “pet registration” system, which will cost $10 per cat, and $25 per dog, as long as the animals are sterilized. Animals with their wombs/balls intact will be more expensive to register, under the plan. You can download the Animal Services Task Force report as a pdf, here.

One obvious potential problem with the new registration program is that it may be very difficult to enforce, as evidenced by the current low level of pet licensing. The task force seems intent on “selling” the benefits of registration to pet owners. But it’s not clear how they’d enforce the program beyond that.

“It’s easy to joke about, but we’re outlining a progression of enforcement, that may be way beyond where the citizens and veterinarian community may be willing to go,” said City Commissioner Dan Saltzman, pushing the case for a more thorough look at enforcement.

“To be perfectly transparent, it’s going to be a very challenged budget,” says county chair Ted Wheeler, of his upcoming budget, which faces a shortfall in excess of $30m, when asked whether the county is going to be able to chip in any money. “It’s my recommendation that you do pass the recommendations of the task force and that we look at steps to implementation.”

The implementation group will make its recommendations to council in June.

Matt Davis was news editor of the Mercury from 2009 to May 2010.

15 replies on “Council Approves Pricey Pet Registration Idea”

  1. The SPCA here in SF is no kill but I believe it relies heavily on donations.

    They just opened a fancy, schmancy new hospital building that was funded by some generous deceased person’s will.

    In any casy, if I lived in Portland I would absolutely support mandatory licensing.

  3. For clarification: Licensing already is mandatory. It’s just that nobody does it, and nobody’s enforcing it. Council seems to think that re-branding licensing as “registration,” and offering a few benefits, like cheaper micro-chipping or a ride home for your pet if it gets lost, will encourage a much higher rate of compliance.

  4. This is the first I have heard of the licensing thing. I am betting many other Portlanders haven’t heard about it either.

    We had the chips implanted in both our cats. It cost very little. Isn’t that enough to ensure that we would be contacted should they ever go into custody? What is the difference between getting a chip and getting registered?

  5. This ‘expected revenue’ will turn out even worse than the business license expected revenue.
    Which is now causing the likely ‘financial emergency’ to be declared.

  6. It seems like Council at least need to figure out a better PR/education strategy, if they’re not going to implement a form of enforcement.

  7. Wow those City Council members are just hilarious with the animal jokes…geez get some work done and remove the big elephant joke that sits in between all of you. Another week at City Council, another week and so little acomplished. Resign Sam!!

  11. “a ride home for your pet if it gets lost” would help a couple of friends of mine whose dogs have escaped– neither own cars and had a hard time getting out to the Multnomah County Animal Shelter, which is way the hell out in Troutdale.

    but yeah, otherwise, why would this work?

  12. Without enforcement, this is a joke. But where do you enforce? Require owners to provide proof of registration before veterinarians work on them? Helicopters over dog parks?

  13. The whole MultCo animal control should be abolished. I got exactly this response after 3 pit bull attacks on my property “we have no budget to send out officers on such calls”

  15. How about an enforced rule prohibiting Will Radik from breathing? Get lost Wiil, no one wants to here your disgusting pedophile loving thoughts!

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