The Crookston Police Department wants to inform the public that license costs for pet owners will be going up soon. So will the impound fee should your animal be lost and brought into Scruffy Tails Humane Society.
“The Crookston Police Department has had a contract with the Polk County Humane Society which is now Scruffy Tails since they opened a long time ago,” said Crookston Police Chief Darin Selzler. “The current contract we are working off with them started back in 2008. So, it’s a 14-year-old contract and rightfully so needs to be updated and changed to reflect inflation and everything in between.”
The Police Department and Scruffy Tails have been in talks for a new contract and recently have come to a new agreement. The way the Crookston Police Department handles animals and procedures will remain the same, however, the cost associated with some of the fees will rise because of the new contract.
The most significant change will be the per-day fee at the Humane Society. The boarding fee if an animal is impounded is currently $5 per day and that will be rising to $20 a day. There is also a one-time boarding fee of $15. So, therefore, the first day the animal is at the Humane Society, it’ll be a charge of $35 to the pet owner, and each day after will be $20. The Humane Society will also hold the animal for up to 5 days before adopting the animal as their own.
“The fees are going up a little bit but $20 is the industry standard,” said Crookston Police Chief Darin Selzler. “We are comfortable with that number and even checking with other cities nearby, we are actually still below what some cities are charging.”
Those fees are not the only ones that will be changing and Selzler also wanted to make sure the public is aware they are required to have an animal license if the pet they own is under the age of six months. “If the animal is under six months you are required to purchase an animal license, that is a part of the city ordinance,” said Crookston Police Chief Darin Selzler. “To purchase an animal license, you need to show proof of a rabies vaccine for the period of the animal license. Animal licenses are good for one year so the rabies vaccination would need to be good for that year.”
The animal license fee is a one-time payment of $10 for the year that it is active. You can stop by the Crookston Police Department to pick up your animal license and Selzler said it could take as little as 5 minutes to complete. Upon completing the purchase of your animal license, you will receive a unique small metal tag for your animal so that in the event your animal is lost and found by the Police Department, they can contact you and get your animal back to you without the expense of having to go through the impound procedure.
If you have any questions about any of the new fees or how you may be affected, you can contact the Crookston Police Department at 218-281-3111, or stop by at 321 W Robert Street Crookston, Minnesota 56716.
The new changes will go into effect on Monday, August 15.
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