Words by Terrell Manasco | Images by Ryan McGill

For years, if a person wanted to adopt a pet in Walker County, he or she simply walked into the county shelter and said, “I’ll take that one.” A promise was then made to have the pet spayed or neutered within a certain time frame and the adopting owner walked away with a new pet at no cost. Unfortunately, some owners were not abiding by the contract, which has led to an epidemic of stray and unwanted animals in the county.

Until recently, Walker County was one of the only shelters in the U.S. that did not have an adoption fee or spay/neuter being done before adoption. That changed on June 7 when the Walker County Commission approved the implementation of a $100 adoption fee.

“We hope that we are making a dent in the overpopulation,” says Kara Jones, who co-founded RUFF (Rescuers United For Furbabies) with Marsha Miller in 2008, and has been involved in animal rescues since she was 16. “A zero-dollar fee and you walk in and say, ‘I want to adopt a puppy’—that's not responsible. We want people who are thinking of adding a pet to their family, who are doing basic vetting and are spaying and neutering.”

The Commission approved the adoption fee after the Walker County Humane and Adoption Center (WCHAC) made a proposal to the commission regarding the implementation of fees. At the meeting, Jones outlined several benefits, including an increase in adoptions, a decrease in animals turned into shelter, less money to spend on housing and caring for animals, and animals being placed in more suitable homes.

Kay Darty, Director of the Walker County Humane and Adoption Center, says the fee is a necessary step designed to curtail the number of unvaccinated strays in the county. “We pride ourselves on being a no-kill facility (thanks to the support of RUFF), and we have needed this in place for a while to help control the unwanted pet population.”

The new procedure requires new pet owners to call the veterinarian to schedule an appointment for their adopted pet. Local veterinarians Dr. Martin Roberts at Jasper Veterinary Clinic and Dr. Jeremiah Alexander at Farmstead Veterinary Clinic are currently on board and Jones hopes more will follow. Pets will receive age-appropriate vaccines, deworming, flea and tick, rabies, and spaying and neutering, all for a discounted fee of $100 paid directly to the veterinarian.

“Before this, it would be from $125 to $175, just for the spay-neuter surgery,” Jones says.

While some have expressed concern that the fee will result in fewer adoptions, Jones explains that the goal is quality over quantity. “We're having adoptions now,” she says. “We don't know if they are good adoptions. This will ensure we have responsible adoptions.”

According to Jones, the WCHAC averages about 30 adoptions per month. About 80-90% of those become rescue pets. Kara then contacts RUFF’s rescue partners, located in Northern states with strict rabies and spaying laws. Pets are then taken to a foster home there until a permanent home is located. Each rescue partner undergoes a strict vetting process. “We check these people out. I've been to each of the places we send them to,” Jones says. “When I die, my dogs will go to one of our rescue partners—I trust them that much.”

Kara says she’s been pleased with the tremendous amount of positive feedback and hopes the positive atmosphere and increased presence on social media will get more people involved. “It’s time we get animal lovers and the general population on board for responsible pet ownership,” she says. “We've got to take responsibility and do the right thing.” 78