State’s ‘I Care’ tags help
sterilization programs

By JEFFERSON WEAVER
Staff Writer

Columbus County doesn’t take part in a state program that provides free and low-cost sterilization for pets.

While local animal advocates are pushing the idea to reduce the number of unwanted pets, county animal control officials worry it would actually cut down on adoptions.

Under North Carolina’s “I Care” program, drivers may purchase special license tags with the program’s logo for an additional $10. Pet owners may also pay a small extra fee for custom “I Care” rabies tags.

Funds from the plates go to local spay and neuter programs, while the rabies tags help provide vaccinations for dogs owned by needy families.

The program bases reimbursements on the state’s Deptartment of Revenue Tier System, which is used to rate local economic conditions. Columbus County is in Tier One, pushing the county to the top of the list for economic development funds, grants – and the most reimbursement under the I Care program.

Under the program, counties must have an existing low-cost spay and neuter program. Depending on the county’s economic status, the county is reimbursed from 25 to 100 percent of the cost of spaying and neutering pets for qualifying pet owners.

Between January 2001 and October 2004, the latest complete numbers available, the state took in roughly $150,000 for both I Care programs. From that total, $5,274 went to administrative costs at the state level, and $93,800.82 was paid to county governments. The biggest recipients were Randolph, Chatham and Pasquotank counties, according to the state figures.

The problem is that Columbus County has never applied for the program.

Animal Control Director Rossie Hayes said he has mixed feelings about the I Care effort.

“I’m not sure how well it would go over,” he said, “but if we could reduce the number of animals we kill, that would be good.”

Hayes said the county has one of the lowest adoption fees in the state, which produces a high rate of adoptions. Proponents of the I Care program have suggested the county use an increase in pet adoption fees to offset the operating costs of I Care, thus avoiding the use of extra tax dollars.

“More funds could easily be raised by increasing our adoption fees to help offset the (spay and neuter) expenses,” said Betty Christal of the Columbus County Humane Society.

“If the animals leave our (county) facility altered, there would be a great reduction in the population of unwanted animals,” she explained. “People adopt dogs, they get pregnant, and then they bring the puppies back to Animal Control when they can no longer care for them. It is a vicious cycle.”

An increased adoption fee, Hayes said, might cut down on animals that get new homes.

“I have people coming in here from Raleigh, Jacksonville, all over,” he said. “I have people breaking their piggy banks open to get enough change to adopt a dog.”

The increased number of adoptions, he pointed out, helps reduce the number of animals the county must kill each week. Many of the adopted pets go through the Columbus County Humane Society, and are adopted at pet fairs in Wilmington.

The society is behind the I Care program.

“The interest in our low cost spay and neuter program is great,” said Christal. “We most often have a waiting list of responsible pet owners wanting to get their pets altered, who otherwise could not afford it. We constantly apply for grants to help cover the expense for them, but there is only so much grant money available.

“If our county would participate in the I Care program, “ she said, “we may start to see a difference in the thousands of unwanted animals gassed each year. CHS would be more than willing to assist in any way we can in getting this program up and running in this county. It is a reimbursement program, and we would be willing to raise funds to get this program established, so it would not cost our county anything.”

The long-term benefits would also pay off for the county, Christal said.

“It would save our county thousands of dollars in the long run,” Christal said, “while also addressing some serious public health issues.”

In 2005, less than 30 percent of the animals adopted from animal control were taken in for their rabies vaccine. When animals are altered, most are also routinely given a rabies vaccine, Christal said.

Hayes said he would like to see a low cost program here, if administrative and funding problems could be worked out.

“We don’t have the money in the budget for this,” he said. “I’m probably looking at cuts next year as well.

“The best thing,” Hayes said, “is for people to make sure they can care for an animal before they take it home. Spaying or neutering and vaccinations are the most important steps, but finding the money for that is tough for a lot of people.”