Redemption fees raised for shelter

The City of Glen Cove approved an increase in redemption and impoundment fees for dogs picked up and boarded at Cove Animal Rescue at the City Council meeting on July 26.

“What’s happening, anecdotally, is that people know the shelter is run so well, so full of tender love and care, that some people are literally letting their dogs go loose,” said Deputy Mayor Barbara Peebles. “They’re not picking them up until the weekend is over, because they’re paying $15 a day and not picking their dog up until Monday. To take care of a dog for 24 hours, feed them, they have to have them in isolation sometimes — labor around taking care of a dog that’s a stray is intensive.”

Peebles mentioned that after doing some research, she determined that the fee increase isn’t unusual, and the fees would still be less than other municipalities, including the towns of Oyster Bay and Hempstead.

If a dog has been picked up and is being held at the shelter, the owner must first pay the redemption fee at City Hall. If the dog isn’t licensed, the owner must also pay a licensing fee. And the dog is not returned until the payment slip is presented to Cove Animal Rescue.

“I’m glad that the fees became an issue … because it raises awareness,” said Cove board member Betty Geiger. “Most people don’t even know they have to license their dog. It’s the poor little dog that has no tag and no license that ends up with us.”

Geiger added that, in general, lost dogs are picked up within 24 to 36 hours.

Since Cove Animal Rescue opened, Peebles said, 51 dogs were impounded in 2015, 59 in 2016 and 27 in the first six months of this year.

Cove Animal Rescue is subsidized by the city, so the fees go directly back to the city. The money is then used to help defray the cost of taking care of impounded dogs.