Des Moines considers overhaul to its pet listening program – Des Moines Register

Des Moines is considering overhauling or eliminating its pet licensing program as a way to remove barriers for owners to care for their pets.  
When animals end up at a shelter, pet owners often face multiple hurdles to reclaim their pets, according to Tom Colvin, the CEO of Animal Rescue League of Iowa, which provides shelter and field services to the city. 
Rescue League and city officials say they want to reexamine their approach to how the city identifies and tracks pets, and their vaccination status, while eliminating “punitive” ordinances.
“The reality is people are simply having to lose their family members because of punitive ordinances that really don’t have a function,” Colvin said to Des Moines city councilors during a quarterly work session Wednesday morning.
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Councilors OK’d Colvin and Des Moines Deputy City Manager Matt Anderson’s proposal to revisit how the pet licensing program will operate, as the city negotiates a new contract with ARL. 
“It’s one of those things where at least nobody in Des Moines has reexamined (the model) since we’ve done it,” said Anderson, who will lead brainstorming efforts. “So we’re just asking the question is the current licensing model still the best practice of tracking pets?” 
Des Moines requires every animal over 6 months old to be licensed each year, as a way for the city to return a lost pet to its owner. It also serves as a way to ensure pets are vaccinated for rabies.
Pet licenses cost $15 per animal if it is spayed or neutered and $35 per animal if it is not spayed or neutered. Owners found with unlicensed pets can be fined up to $500, according to the City of Des Moines’ website. 
But historically, an estimated 28% of dogs are licensed in Des Moines, while 16% of cats are licensed, Colvin told council members during the work session. A total of 14,615 pets are licensed this year in Des Moines, according to data provided by the city; that includes 10,655 dogs and 3,960 cats.
Colvin, who has led the organization since 1996, says the low percentages are no longer surprising. It’s also hard and ineffective to track down and fine owners who have not gone through the licensing process.
“You always struggle to get a significant percentage of dogs — and particularly, cats licensed — in any community,” he said. “It seems to be the way it is.”
“It tells you that whatever goal we’re trying to achieve with licensing isn’t hitting the mark, and licensing was done and really hasn’t changed since microchipping became the norm,” Anderson added.
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According to the city’s website, fees collected for animal licenses are used for the enforcement of animal ordinances and to cover the expense of running animal shelters in the city. Collected fees are deposited in the city’s General Fund. 
Colvin said when licensing first started it may have often been a way to offset whatever animal control fees a city accrued, made to generate income. But these days, the cost of administration is more than the revenue, he said. 
Colvin said the proposal was received positively by the council, with council members asking about the program’s revenue and effectiveness. 
“If it’s only 28% — even if we went to 35% — what are we doing it for?” Councilor At Large Connie Boesen asked of the program during the work session Wednesday.
Colvin said a re-examining of the city’s program serves as a healthier way of tackling animal issues in Des Moines. The city currently has the highest live release rate ever — 91% in 2021 compared to 35% in 2004, with more pets either adopted, reclaimed or transferred, according to the city. 
“Pets are so important to people’s families,” Colvin said. “They are by far considered family members way more than they ever have been. So trying to remove barriers, work with people on having pets just seems to be a lot better way to have a healthy community than having a lot of unnecessary and punitive types of approaches.”
“Let’s not make criminals out of people who are otherwise very good pet owners,” he said. 
There are no official recommendations on how to change the program, but Colvin said “everything is on the table” for discussion.
Eliminating late fees are high on the list, but broadly, brainstorming other changes and alternatives will likely be a two-step process, according to Anderson. 
If the city eliminates one component, such as licensing cats, for example, it has to fill in the gaps elsewhere. 
The goal of licensing dogs is to encourage rabies vaccinations, but the percentage of cats that get licensed in a community, historically, is “extremely low,” Colvin said. “So, trying to fine people for not getting licensing on cats, administrating costs with cats … is, by nature, very problematic.”
One consideration is relying on microchips as a way to identify pets, as opposed to tags, which Colvin says often fall off pets or get lost. Microchips require a one-time fee to insert, and owners should keep their contact information up to date. 
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Another proposal is to stop relying on licensing to ensure pets are vaccinated against rabies. Colvin said the low-or-no-cost vaccination clinics ARL partners with are more effective. Because it’s a public health issue, it should be looked at as such.  
Anderson and Colvin estimate the team will come forward to propose some recommendations to the council over the next six months, though there’s no set deadline.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct the punishment for an unlicensed pet.
Des Moines Register reporter Philip Joens contributed to this story. 
Virginia Barreda is the trending and general assignment reporter for the Des Moines Register. She can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter at @vbarreda2.

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