The Matanuska-Susitna Borough (Mat-Su) in Alaska has started enforcing an existing ordinance that mandates individuals who discover animals to surrender them to the Mat-Su Animal Shelter rather than local rescue organizations. According to Matanuska-Susitna Borough shelter officials, the purpose of enforcing this long-standing rule is to enhance the reunification of lost animals with their owners and to prosecute those suspected of animal care violations.
Previously, the borough did not enforce the “found” animal regulation due to a lack of shelter capacity. However, officials stated that they have expanded capacity by collaborating with rescue organizations, reducing the duration that each animal spends in their care.
However, some rescue organizations are concerned that animals brought to the shelter while sick or injured may not receive immediate attention and may be euthanized instead. Clear Creek Cat Rescue officials emphasized that their organization spends approximately $100,000 annually on veterinary care for critically ill or injured cats and kittens, enabling them to save animals that the shelter may not be able to accommodate due to funding, staffing, or space limitations.
The organization was recently prohibited from collaborating with the shelter after Judy Price, who operates the nonprofit cat rescue group from her home near Homer, criticized the Mat-Su shelter policy on Facebook, violating a shelter “mutual respect” agreement, according to borough officials.
The Mat-Su Animal Shelter houses dogs, cats, and other small animals at a facility situated near the borough landfill outside Palmer. The shelter took in 3,486 animals last year and euthanized just over 21%, according to officials. Animals surrendered to the Mat-Su shelter are held for three to five days, contingent upon whether an owner is identified, as per the borough code.
Unclaimed animals become borough property and are made available for adoption, placed in foster homes, or transferred to rescue organizations after receiving a health examination, vaccinations, and spaying or neutering if necessary.
In contrast, Anchorage animal control policies allow individuals who find an animal to retain it “while continuing to search for the owner,” although they are also encouraged to contact the shelter if the owner cannot be promptly located. Animals can also be brought to the shelter during business hours or placed in an after-hours drop area.
Local rescue organizations are concerned that the Mat-Su shelter may not be equipped to provide timely emergency care to animals that enter the facility with unidentified injuries. They claim that animals assessed as aggressive or feral may not be handled promptly, resulting in delayed medical attention.
Price asserts that shelter officials were unable to provide life-saving medical care to an injured cat in early March because it was surrendered under the new rule. According to borough records, the cat was ultimately euthanized because shelter staff deemed its behavior indicative of being feral, rendering necessary post-operative care infeasible.
The Mat-Su shelter euthanizes animals deemed too ill to treat or considered dangerous, as stated by Chris Loscar, the shelter’s director. He revealed that in the previous year, the shelter euthanized 758 animals, reunited 584 with their owners, and adopted out 1,316. The remaining animals were placed in long-term foster homes or transferred to rescues.
Currently, the shelter collaborates with 16 rescue organizations to place dogs and cats in the community. Adoption fees charged by rescue organizations are set by each institution and can vary considerably, with costs potentially reaching hundreds of dollars. The borough does not charge a fee to rescues who take animals.
Borough shelter officials contend that collaborating with rescue groups has enabled them to shorten the average duration that animals spend in their care from 21 days in 2019 to nine days currently.
