Submitted Photo A cat rescued from the Minot city pound awaits adoption. The calico is among the 60 to 80 cats that Hairball Haven has in its care at any given time. The rescue operation expects to have lots of kittens ready to adopt in a couple of weeks.

More than 585 animals passed through Minot’s city pound last year. Only about 40% of impounded animals typically end up reunited with owners.

Saving pound animals has been the concern of Minot’s several rescue operations, which want to see their existing efforts supported and enhanced as the city considers the future of its pound operation.

The Minot City Council voted Oct. 4 to negotiate a year-long contract with the existing operator, Minot Veterinary Clinic, after it was discovered that the pound appears to have been operating without a contract since the 1990s. Once a contract is in place, the city will prepare a request for proposals for pound operation to investigate the animal services available in the community and determine the level of services the city should include at the pound.

Kasey Breuer with Animal Empowerment League, said she is satisfied with the council’s decision to proceed for now with Minot Veterinary Clinic.

“The current model is saving hundreds of Minot animal lives every year with the healthy partnership of rescues,” she said. “Our organization has pulled four dogs since we incorporated in March. As we obtain more fosters and funds, we will be able to help more.”

Breuer also submitted a letter to the council with items she would like considered when drafting a contract with a future pound operator. Her top priorities are partnerships with area organizations and individuals who do rescue and a commitment that animals go to groups with a strong belief in and success with spaying and neutering before adoption.

“I believe the city should be focused on providing humane care for the animals in its care. This doesn’t necessarily mean needing to find alternatives. The grass is not greener on the other side; the grass is greener where you water it,” she said.

Natalie Davy, a co-partner in Hairball Haven’s feline rescue, wrote to the council that small rescue operations aren’t in a position to bid for pound services but can work with an entity such as a veterinary clinic to achieve the goal of saving animals. As of Sept. 28, Hairball Haven had provided for 272 cats and kittens this year, of which more than 230 came from the city pound, she said. Since 2019, 81% of the organization’s rescued cats have come through the pound.

Davy suggested future pound contracts favor bidders that require spaying/neutering as part of adoption and that prioritize meeting the high demand locally for animal services before assisting outside the state. She also stressed the need to ensure into the future that the pound has adequate kennels, quarantine protocols for new animals and adequate health safeguards and socialization for animals.

Miranda Heisler, who serves on a feral cat trap/neuter/return committee, said the city’s pound doesn’t meet the standard of a no-kill shelter, which is 10% of animals or fewer, although it is close. Eliminating all euthanasia is considered unrealistic because of injuries, illness or other issues that make euthanasia the most humane option.

“Through my data research, the main thing that is the most evident is that we have some amazing rescues that work wonderfully together to help find new homes for the remainder of the pound animals that are not reclaimed by their owners or euthanized,” Heisler wrote in a letter to the council. “Our rescue community is continually growing and that means so many more chances at life for these animals.”

She obtained and reviewed pound data to report that more than 860 pound animals not reclaimed or euthanized were in need of rescue from January 2019 to September 2021.

She noted the importance of utilizing all the rescue organizations to aid in city pound operations rather than selecting just one through a bidding process.

“I truly believe if you open this up to bids and only select one rescue, you will be doing a huge disservice to these animals and will be greatly diminishing their chances of a promising future,” Heisler wrote. “Let’s lift up our local rescuers working hard to provide a quality of life for these animals and continue to support these great resources we have available to us.”

At the council meeting, council member Carrie Evans said she would like to see bidders show an ability to meet the guidelines of the Association of Shelter Veterinarians for standards of care that include euthanasia, medical health and physical wellbeing and facility environment. She also voiced interest in knowing how potential partnerships and collaboration among animal welfare groups fit into the picture.

“Increasing the safety and wellbeing of the animals within our control certainly is a goal of mine, and I would just like to see what is out there and what can be done for our animals,” Evans said.

“The more services we put in for requirement, the more likelihood that the cost of that is going to increase. One of my concerns is the fiscal impacts that this is going to have,” City Manager Harold Stewart said. “It’s great we can talk about these animal welfare issues and these types of things, but all those come with a cost.”

The City of Minot has seen animal health care expenses ranging from $30,000 to $45,000 a year.

The pound will hold an animal for three days and bill the city. After that time, the city no longer pays but the clinic can work with a rescue operation willing to take custody and pay the fees, Stewart said.

Council member Stephan Podrygula reported receiving a number of letters and emails from residents who shared ideas about animal services.

“So it’s obvious that there’s a lot of interest in improving animal welfare, and there are a lot of people out there who can be part of the solution. I think finding out, in a systematic fashion, who those people are, what those organizations are and what they can bring to the table would be a very good way of going about this,” he said.

Council member Tom Ross advocated for sticking with Minot Veterinary Clinic long-term rather than seeking bids.

“We’re trying to fix something that’s not broken,” he said. “Let’s work with what we’ve got. I think we’re really overthinking this, and I think we’ve got a great network of rescue shelters out there. Let’s let them work together with the Minot Vet Clinic and move forward with this.”

“Things don’t have to break before we can make them better,” council member Paul Pitner responded in support of seeking proposals. “I think this is just an opportunity for us in the city to make things better.”