County doing cost analysis on Dog Warden's office - 13abc.com Toledo (OH) News, Weather and Sports

Changes at the Lucas County Dog Warden's office have commissioners looking at the costs of keeping a dog.

Upgrades were needed at the Dog Warden's office but they come at a price.

Walk into the office and you'll notice some changes.   You will still find adoptable dogs but the operation itself has been updated.

Lucas County Commissioner, Pete Gerken (D) says, "It's much more user friendly, dog friendly operation.  what's the cost to that?"

Back in 2009,  the Dog Warden's office was primarily concerned with law enforcement issues such as proper licensing, getting stray dogs off the street, euthanizing unwanted dogs.

But since then, the Warden's office has built a surgical unit and installed a veterinary staff.  It's hired more staffers in general and built a dog run to exercise the animals.

Gerken says other upgrades in animal care have also had a budgetary impact. "Fortunately, we don't euthanize as many dogs as we used to so longer stays of the dogs means more pet food, more bedding, worker attention.  so that's an added cost but that has value."

The county is *not* thinking of disbanding the office or privatizing it.

But commissioners do want to get a sense of how much these upgrades have increased the cost of operations.

Pete Gerken says the in-house vet care and surgery suite has probably saved some money but that the housing costs have probably increased. 

The commissioners expect a cost analysis to be completed by the end of January.