Animal advocate: Ohio law impedes spay/neuter funding
The man behind a program that has helped subsidize canine spay/neuter surgeries is seeking to change state law so county governments can increase dog license fees to fund similar initiatives statewide.
Toledo animal advocate Steve Serchuk created the Big Fix in the 2016 dog license year. The program uses financial contributions from local governments and other sources and works with Humane Ohio to offer spay/ neuter to licensed dogs.
To date, the program has helped provide surgeries for nearly 2,000 dogs in Lucas and Wood counties. It offered surgeries for $5 in Lucas County in 2016 and then for $10 in 2017 and $15 in 2018 in both Lucas and Wood counties.
The fees paid by owners are also funneled back into the program to fix more dogs.
Serchuk approached Lucas County last year about increasing its dog license fee by $1 and directing those dollars to the Big Fix, thereby providing steady and dedicated funding of $50,000 or more annually. But the county prosecutor’s opinion was that ORC 955.20, which establishes the dog and kennel fund from license fees, does not allow those funds to be used for animals outside the control of county shelters, said Pete Gerken, president of the Lucas County commissioners.
So now Serchuk is working to change the law.
“I’m talking with state legislators now to amend that to be permissive so that counties may — not shall, but may, so it’s at their discretion — be able to use dog kennel funds for spay/neuter of licensed dogs,” he said. “We’re looking for a permanent source of funds. And all 88 counties have this problem.”
He declined to name which legislators he has spoken to, but noted he is also seeking support from the state associations for county commissioners and dog wardens. A bill could be introduced this legislative session or the next, he said.
Unaltered dogs are “still a big community problem,” Serchuk said. “Spay/neuter increases public safety, decreases (canine) homelessness, and makes healthier dogs.”
Altered dogs are generally less aggressive, less prone to roaming, and cannot create more unwanted dogs that fill up shelters. Promoting pet spay/neuter makes good financial sense for local governments, Julie Lyle, clinic director at Humane Ohio, said.
“Less animals reproducing are less animals they have to pick up, less animals that are biting, less animals that are generating complaints,” she said.
She said demand for the program has exceeded available funding every year. When the Big Fix coupons are sent out with annual dog license renewal notices in late November and early December, the phones at Humane Ohio don’t stop ringing.
“We get lots of calls and we can schedule appointments online, so we’ll get in Monday after the weekend and have to approve 60 new appointments,” she said. “It’s really well received.”
Since its inception, the program has helped alter 1,547 licensed dogs over three years in Lucas County, and another 448 licensed dogs over two years in Wood County. In the 2018 license year, the program helped fix 545 dogs in Lucas County and 201 in Wood County.