Ponderay PD no longer accepting stray dogs

PONDERAY — Due to financial constraints, the Ponderay Police Department will no longer be accepting any dogs found wandering in the city.

Also, since ending an agreement with the Better Together Animal Alliance, the department will no longer be able to take animals to the shelter, police department officials announced in a press release.

Residents who find a dog at large should contact the Ponderay, Priest River, Bonners Ferry or Hayden shelters to see if they will accept the animal. However, Police Chief Jimmy Cornelius said residents should be aware that they will be responsibility for transportation and any associated fees.

However, Cornelius said Ponderay is working to help lost pets find their way home by offering a free dog tag program for city residents. Ponderay residents can obtain the tags at the police department, Ponderay City Hall or from the city's police officers.

Residents will be given a tag for each dog they own in exchange for their name, address and phone number. However, city officials said the tag itself will include the police department's phone number and tag identification number.

"If someone finds your dog, they can call the number and we will be able to locate the animal's home and get them returned to their rightful owner," Cornelius said in the press release.

Any untagged dogs found by officers will be held at the police department for several hours while an attempt is made to find the owner. The animal will also be listed on its Facebook page and website.

However, if the owner cannot be located the dog will be transferred to the Companions Animal Shelter, 10275 N. Atlas Road, Hayden.

The cities of Ponderay and Sandpoint, as well as Bonner County, recently voted to split with BTAA after the animal alliance announced this summer that it would have to substantially raise its rates after years of undercharging the entities.

In the 2023 budget cycle, Sandpoint, Ponderay, and Bonner County paid BTAA a total of $18,400 to take in 406 stray dogs. According to the shelter, the actual cost of caring for the animals was $274,054. 

Mandy Evans, BTAA executive director, previously said the animal alliance had used funds from private donors and adoption revenue to help cover the cost of the contracted service for years. However, with the cost of animal care rising, it could no longer afford to subsidize the contracted work.

The annual contract amounts proposed by BTAA in March are $19,184 for Ponderay, $65,773 for Sandpoint, and $169,913 for Bonner County. The $254,870 total represents a 1,285% total increase from the 2023 combined amount.

While many local officials agreed BTAA should receive more than the current $18,400 to perform the contracted service, they could not go along with the substantial increase in costs and began exploring other options.