Village of Colfax approves two-year contract with Dunn County Humane Society

By LeAnn R. Ralph

COLFAX  —  The Colfax Village Board has approved a two-year contract with the Dunn County Humane Society at a rate of $1.63 per capita the first year and $1.72 per capita the second year.

The contract approved by the village board at the October 24 meeting covers 2017 and 2018.

The village board approved a six-month contract with the humane society in July that expires at the end of December as a way to determine if it would be beneficial for the village to have a contract with DCHS.

The contract with DCHS means that village residents can turn in stray dogs and cats to the humane society without having to pay the intake fee for the animals.

In the last few months, eight stray animals from Colfax — one dog and seven cats — have been turned into DCHS, said Josh Dalton, Executive Director of the Dunn County Humane Society.

The Viking Addition has a “robust stray cat population,” and because the village has a contract with DCHS, a girl and her family have started live-trapping them, he said.

As anyone who spends a certain amount of time in Colfax probably already knows, the entire village seems to have a significant stray cat population.

“The word is getting out that you have a contract (to help) get the stray population down,” Dalton said.

About 60 percent of the dogs taken in at DCHS are reunited with their owners, but only about 1 percent of the cats end up being claimed, he said.

Last October, DCHS had taken in 109 cats. This year, the number is in the 80s. Last year, there were shelters in northern Minnesota that did not have any cats, so some of the cats were transferred to those shelters, Dalton said.

When animals come to DCHS they receive a variety of medical care, such as spay or neuter surgery, treatment for fleas and vaccinations. In addition to adoptions that take place at DCHS, animals are placed in a number of other places for adoption as well, such as pet stores, Dalton said.

Lynn Niggemann, village administrator-clerk-treasurer, said she had read about some negative publicity for DCHS because the shelter does not allow cats to be adopted as inside-outside cats.

“Correct,” Dalton said.

With the number of cats who do not end up claimed by their owners, “we are not looking to do more of that,” he said.

DCHS does, however, release cats to farms or other businesses where rodents are a problem, Dalton said, noting that those cats tend to be a little less social and are suited for that kind of release.

Scott Gunnufson, village president, noted that before Colfax had a contract with DCHS, he received at least one telephone call per month about stray cats.

Since the village board approved the contract in July, Gunnufson said he has not received any telephone calls.

The Colfax Police Department also used to receive telephone calls about stray cats.

Colfax Police Chief Bill Anderson said the police department is receiving fewer telephone calls as well.

In the past when the police department received telephone calls, “we have done what we could,” he said, noting that Niggemann, Deputy-Clerk Treasurer Sheila Riemer and Colfax Police Officer Mike Madrid have all taken cats home with them.

“In a two-month period, (DCHS has) taken in eight, and the word is just starting to get out,” Police Chief Anderson said.

Annie Schieber, village trustee, asked about the programs available for helping people pay for spay and  neuter surgery.

DCHS works with local veterinarians to allow people to receive a $120 discount on spay surgery or a $50 to $70 discount on neuter surgery, Dalton said.

The Bob Barker Foundation also has donated money to DCHS to make free spay-neuter surgery available, he said.

The two-year contract with DCHS contains a 90-day cancellation policy.

The total for the Dunn County Humane Society contract will be $1,740 for 2017 and $1,936 for 2018.

The Colfax Village Board unanimously approved the two-year contract with DCHS.