Database built to reunite families/ pets

Reuniting families is its own reward, even when the lost family member is a pet.

Though dog at large and impound calls are not increasing, citizens are reaching out on social media more frequently, seeking help in locating their missing pets. Amid that increase of lost pet posts on a local garage sale Facebook page, Kimball man Tom O’Brien set in motion a new page, Kimball Area Pet Search and Doggy Database.

“I think the breaking point for me came last week when we were at Beer and Loathing for pool league. Someone came in the door and in walked a pit bull right through the bar back to where we were playing,” O’Brien said. “It was a very sweet dog and some of the people there were able to take him home until the owners were found. In that case the owners were found right away. In many cases they aren’t though so in the mean time what happens to the dogs?”

A big concern for O’Brien is the animal’s safety from weather and vehicles, or that an animal might by killed needlessly if, disoriented and scared, it exhibits seemingly threatening behavior.

“I’ve always been a huge animal lover. I also have a lot of empathy toward people who lose their pets regardless of the reason,” O’Brien said.

If a loose or lost dog is found by Kimball Police Department, officers will attempt to return the dog to its home. Since they do not have the benefit of a database, they are limited to returning only dogs they know, according to Kimball Police Chief Darren Huff. Only when other options are exhausted or if the dog is a repeat offender, the dog is impounded, as supported by local ordinances.

“If we don’t know the owner and no one claims the animal the city pays the fees. We eat that cost,” Huff said.

Limited space compounds the problem. If kennels are full with boarded pets, the local animal hospital, which doubles as a pound, can not accept impounded animals.

“It is a very manageable thing, we don’t really have a big problem,” Huff said. “But any way that it will help the community and animals is good. In that respect I think it will be a good thing.”

Huff’s main concern is that the new database will enable irresponsible pet owners; if foster homes are found for dogs some owners may take advantage of the lack of ramifications.

“We have even had officers take dogs home to babysit until they can find the owner,” Huff said.

in that instance Huff agrees that this database and the list of available foster homes would be beneficial.

“I am enlisting the help of volunteers who have the time to search for missing pets. Obviously most people work so they can’t go out looking during daylight hours when it’s easiest to find lost pets,” O’Brien said. “If we have a small search and rescue team, finding lost pets should be much easier.”

Help from the new site may also come in the form of foster homes, O’Brien said, saving the owners impound fees and providing lost pets a safe haven until the family can be found.

“I’m doing a database because it will be so much easier if I have a list of dogs and owners along with pictures and vital information to refer to if needed,” O’Brien said. “As it is right now the garage sale site is kind of a de facto lost and found site. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. I just want to improve the odds.”

If impounded and if the owners are found, they must pay the impound fees to the City and provide proof of vaccinations before the dog will be released from Prairie Animal Hospital, which doubles as a pound for the City of Kimball.

Those fees begin at $60 for the first day, according to Prairie Animal Hospital owner Mimi Shaw. Shaw, a local veterinarian, added that each additional day the dog is impounded costs the owner $40.

She said that in some cases the pet owners cannot afford the charges by the time they find out their pet has been impounded, and are then forced to relinquish the pet.

“They will just abandon the dog,” Shaw said. “If they will sign a release and it is an adoptable dog we will try to adopt it locally.”

However, the City also must pay impound fees, and if the dog is not placed within six days they are sent to a no-kill shelter in Wyoming.

Shaw said the database would certainly be helpful, more for owners than anyone else. Though having a network of volunteers searching for lost dogs could potentially open up the kennels for boarding customers at the animal hospital and save the police force time and money.

Help from the new site may also come in the form of foster homes, O’Brien said, saving the owners impound fees and providing lost pets a safe haven until the family can be found.

When O’Brien announced on a Kimball area sale site that he was considering the idea of this new page, a photo of a dog was shared. Community members quickly worked to find the rightful owners and return the dog home providing a reunion even before the site was official.

“I’ve gotten a ton of support and lots of people who want their pets in the database so far!” O’Brien said. “It’s kind of early in the game but I’m hoping to coordinate with local law enforcement and the vet so we can more easily locate owners of found pets before they’re impounded at the vet.”

As with many concerns, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and in this instance there are a few ways to ensure reunions.

Shaw suggests that owners make sure fences and leashes are strong and in place to ensure safety for their pets, or keep them indoors.

“Make sure pets are wearing collars with tags so they are easily identified, or microchip them,” Shaw said. “We have a scanner and we scan every dog that comes in with an unknown owner, find out who they are and send them home.”

Pet owners will find that licensing their pets with the City is less costly than doggy bail. A city license and tags, which are required for pets in Kimball, are available at City Hall for an annual $3 to $7 fee. Vaccination records are required and the fee is based on when the tag is purchased and if the animal is spayed or neutered.

Although his officers do not have license information available to them if City Hall is closed, Chief Huff said the information provided on that license helps identify who the pet belongs to, so they can be returned to the rightful owner.

“If you are going to own a pet, you are responsible for that pet. You are responsible for ensuring its safety and security,” Huff said. “The biggest thing I would like to see more than anything is people stepping up and taking responsibility for their animals.”

“Instead of scolding people or being nasty about it I decided to try and help the situation. Maybe someone needs a better fence or a stronger chain or whatever,” O’Brien said. “But before we can help and educate people we need to be able to stop the lost dog epidemic.”