City of Deer Park officials, faced with a growing number of dog complaints, is looking at maybe asking Spokane County Regional Animal Protection (SCRAPS) for help.

SCRAPS Director Nancy Hill will present an overview of her agency to the city council on July 1.

SCRAPS currently provides animal control services for the cities of Liberty Lake, Spokane Valley, Millwood and Cheney along with Fairchild Air Force Base. The agency is negotiating with the city of Spokane to take over its animal control duties next year, Hill added.

Liberty Lake, similar in size to Deer Park, will slightly pay more than $19,000 a year for animal control services in 2009 (its first year with SCRAPS) but is expected to get a refund at the end of the year based on a formula that looks at a variety of factors, including time SCRAPs spends in the community and revenue generated.

Under SCRAPS policy, its six full-time animal control officers are dispatched throughout its multi-city jurisdictions on a priority basis.

All captured animals are boarded at the SCRAPS compound on Flora Road in the Spokane Valley.
Deer Park Councilwoman Dee Cragun arranged for Hill to make a presentation following a couple of city council meetings where residents complained about the number of loose dogs in the city.

Mayor Robert Whisman has discussed implementing a random nighttime dog pick-up by city crewmen. The plan, however, has yet to go into effect.

If the city decides to contract with SCRAPS, it will be required to also accept the organization’s licensing fees.

Currently, city residents pay $5 for license for a spayed/neutered dog, with senior citizens getting a half-price discount. The SCRAPS fee is $20 and $15 for senior citizens.

The license for non-spayed/neutered dogs is $40 compared to the current $25 city licensing fee.
SCRAPS also requires the licensing of cats since any contract will include the pickup of “feral” cats.

The license for a spayed/neutered cat is $15 and $25 for non-spayed/neutered felines. The city of Deer Park has no licensing requirement for cats.

The SCRAPS licensing policy for dogs and cats also has a $20 penalty if it is determined the non-licensed animal is more than 6 months old and has lived within Spokane County for the last 30 days.