Gananoque, Kingston Humane Society reach new deal

Gananoque will enter into a new agreement with the Kingston Humane Society for pound services.

The new agreement, which was agreed to by council unanimously during Tuesday's council meeting, will run from Jan. 1, 2025, to Dec. 31, 2029, and is for double what the current agreement with the KHS is.

Town officials are also proposing to catch up with this increase by more than quadrupling the fee for a dog owner to retrieve an impounded pet, which currently sits at $120.

The Town retains the services of the Kingston Humane Society (KHS) to provide impound services. The KHS provides for bylaw officers to take stray dogs to the pound.

The contract identifies the responsibilities of the KHS during an impound and at what point a dog may be adopted, if left unclaimed. It is noted that it is the bylaw officers' priority to bring a dog home and not to the pound. This is provided it is known who the owner is (via dog tags) and if they can be located at the time of pickup.

The town does not have the facilities to maintain a dog on-site.

The contract with KHS is a base or monthly retainer fee, plus any further incurred costs.

The current monthly retainer fee is $247/month and the proposed increased fee is $500/month, which is more than double the current costs. Year two through five will see a CPI increase. These costs are considered the overhead to maintain the KHS facility and its operations.

For the 2025 budget, the new contract costs $6,000.

Additional costs that the town could see would relate to any veterinarian services for medical attention or vaccinations, kennel costs, if a dog is impounded and unclaimed. If a dog is reclaimed, the dog owner is required to pay for these costs up front, prior to getting the dog back. If a dog is not licensed with the town, the KHS will collect and issue a dog tag on the town's behalf.

The average number of impounds since 2020 to the end of October 2024 is 1.4 dogs annually. Of the impounds, five of seven were returned the owner. The town paid for additional costs on two dogs for a period of three days, which is the number of days before the KHS assumes ownership of the dog.

To explore alternatives and information for council to make an informed decision, staff reached out to local municipalities as to where or how they handle impounds.

Council heard that municipalities primarily utilize the Kingston Humane Society or a private kennel. One municipality using a private kennel currently pays three times more than the town on a monthly basis, council heard.

Staff reached out to six local veterinarians as to whether there is any interest in providing the service.

In co-operation with the Township of Leeds and the Thousand Islands, to explore or seek alternate solutions, TLTI staff reached out to local kennel operators as to whether there is any interest in providing the services. The kennel operators are either not interested or not set up to operate as an impound.

The Gananoque Humane Society was also contacted to see if there was an interest, but indicated that its building is too small and not equipped to handle dogs.

Staff recommend that at such time as the Fees and Rates Bylaw is reviewed, that the fees for the retrieval of a dog increase from $120 to $500 Jan. 1, 2025.

The way staff sees it - taking a dog to the pound is a last resort. The dog owner's responsibility is obtaining a dog tag, maintaining the tag on their dog and ensuring that their dog is in care and control. If the dog can be identified through their dog tag and be brought home, it is the first course of action.

Keith Dempsey is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of the Brockville Recorder and Times. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.