Duke hangs out with Souris Valley Animal Shelter staff member Haley Burchett Tuesday in the lobby area of the new Severson Ahart veterinary clinic to open soon.

Souris Valley Animal Shelter experienced a significant transition this year when it took on a new role as animal pound for the City of Minot.

Minot Veterinary Clinic had offered city pound service for a number of years but chose not to continue. The city entered a one year contract with SVAS that began Jan. 1.

Haley Burchett, communications and development specialist with SVAS, said hosting the city pound is largely a community service rather than a revenue generator. The shelter is expected to benefit, though, with the opening of the new Severson Ahart Community Clinic inside its building, possibly within the week.

Burchett said the new clinic will be providing care for shelter animals as well as the community. It will generate additional revenue and more grant opportunities for the shelter, which has a current deficit of about $68,000. Burchett said the shelter has been lowering its deficit, which reached $99,000 last August after SVAS withdrew from a national adoption program that had provided grant income. At the community’s encouragement, the shelter turned its focus to its community mission.

The biggest adjustment for the shelter in taking on the pound has been the change in its intake priorities, Burchett said. Animals impounded by the Minot Police Department are the top priority, followed by Ward County Sheriff’s Department’s impounded animals and non-contracted law enforcement emergency cases. Next would be emergency housing programs and animals previously adopted from SVAS that need to be returned. The full list of priorities is listed on the SVAS website.

“It’s sad, common knowledge that more than likely requests for intake are always going to exceed the space that we have available,” Burchett said. “Our priority is assisting the animals that are in the most vulnerable situations first.”

To assist more animals, SVAS wants to grow its foster program – both fostering and fostering to adopt.

“We are really trying to push that now more than ever,” Burchett said. “Even before the pound, we were constantly looking for people to step up.”

Getting animals out of the shelter is important for more reasons than simply creating more space.

“No matter how wonderful our staff is, no matter what kind of state of the art facility you have, it’s just not a quality of life long term,” Burchett said.

Residents interested in fostering can apply online. They will be contacted for interviews. Information gathered is important for vetting applicants and also to aid in establishing good matches when animals become available to foster. The shelter provides assistance to foster homes through its community pantry that has food, toys, bedding and other supplies.

The length of a fostering assignment varies. It can be several weeks to several months, and in one case has been more than a year, Burchett said.

As of this week, SVAS had 30 animals within the shelter and six in foster care. The shelter has been at capacity with 18 cats, while the 12 dogs are below the capacity of 17.

SVAS has set aside pound space for 10 animals – five dogs and five cats. Dogs and cats are kept in separate areas, creating less stress for the animals.

“That’s a really awesome way that we’ve been able to contribute something positive,” Burchett said, noting not all pounds have that capability to separate animals.

Between Jan. 2 and 22, the pound processed 10 cats and 12 dogs.

SVAS would like the public to understand that anyone who locates a stray should call the non-emergency phone number for Animal Control or the Minot Police Department. The police department must approve sending an animal to the pound, as has been the practice with the previous pound service.

Pet owners are required to provide the pound with a valid rabies certificate showing ownership before a pet can be released. If a pet is not up to date on its rabies vaccination, a vaccine can be administered at the on-site clinic when a veterinarian becomes available.

An owner has three days to claim an animal. If an owner can’t be located or doesn’t appear, the animal will be transferred to shelter care to become available for adoption or fostering.

Through SVAS, pet owners also are able to purchase City of Minot licenses required for dogs and cats kept within city limits. Owners picking up pets from the pound can buy licenses if they lack them and are subject to certain fees.

Fees include animal control, $20; $35 a day for boarding; and rabies vaccine, if not current, $20. City licensing fees vary spending on when an animal received its last rabies vaccine.