Idaho Animal Shelter Seeks Help From Caldwell and Nampa

Idaho's second-largest animal shelter is seeking help to keep the doors open. The West Valley Humane Society is currently negotiating the renewal of its contracts with Nampa, Caldwell, and Canyon County.
(Full disclosure: I am a board member of the shelter.)

The shelter has faced numerous challenges, including overcrowding, insufficient funding, and mismanagement, while many individuals have worked tirelessly to keep the shelter open. If the shelter closed, Canyon County would have no place for strays, owner surrenders, and other essential services.

The latest issue reported by multiple media outlets was the result of a press release from the city of Caldwell. The city claimed they would have to cut services to fund their required portion. Caldwell has faced a series of challenging headlines, from the introduction of parking meters to the elimination of a beloved parking lot in favor of building a hotel.

The mayor and some members of the city council survived a recall attempt. At least one civil lawsuit has been or will be filed as a result of the recall effort. In other words, it's a tense situation.

You can help the shelter by using this link here to show your support for our four legged furry family members.

The funding issue is the result of the shelter not adequately charging the cities the cost of services over the past years. Best Friends Animal Society, which has helped the shelter, issued a report detailing what Idaho cities pay per capita to fund their shelters.

The city of Nampa pays 72 cents per capita for sheltering services, while Caldwell pays 99 cents. Pocatello, much smaller than Caldwell, pays over twenty-three dollars per capita.

Caldwell has invited the public to two town hall meetings to hear from the people. The first one is June 17th, and the other one is June 30th at Caldwell City Hall.

We will continue to update you on this situation as it develops.