Burien lawmakers directed City Manager Mike Martin on April 11 to contract for city animal control services with a nonprofit group headed by Discover Burien events coordinator Debra George.

The contract will be for three years with monthly status reportsd required.

George, who also is the co-owner of the Mark Restaurant & Bar in Olde Burien, is organizer of Community Animal Resource Education Society (CARES.) She said the nonprofit group will also work on animal rights and wellbeing issues. The animal control services contract is just one component of the group, according to George.

Michael Snyder will be the full-time lead animal control field officer. He owns a small business in Burien that designs and produces award ribbons.

Snyder is president of the local American Pit Bull Terrier breed club and was national president of the organization for 10 years.

Sherry Meyers will coordinate animal placement. For the past 20 years she has been heavily involved in the rescue rehabilitation and placing of dogs in the Puget Sound area.
Burien resident Meyers is president and rescue coordinator of the local American Eskimo breed club.
According to George, Meyers has established long-term relationships with most local shelters and rescue organizations.

Guy Knepp is slated as the lead community education and public relations specialist and would back up Snyder as a field officer.

Knepp has owned a pet-grooming salon in Burien for four years, specializing in geriatric and difficult pets. He has also been involved in Chow dog rescue for 15 years.

The animal control group will be responsible for picking up stray animals, responding to vicious animal reports, patrolling, returning pets to owners, issuing citations and providing an animal shelter.
George said the group would contract with a kennel in SeaTac as a shelter but hopes to build a new shelter in downtown Burien.

She noted that SHARES is trying to get the city to "readdress" the issue of shelters in Burien. Currently shelters are only zoned for along First Avenue South, according to George.

George also noted her group plans to offer low cost adoption and a foster pet program and maintain a "no-kill" shelter. The contract stipulates that stray pets only need to be sheltered for 72 hours.

Last April, Burien lawmakers decided not to participate in King County's proposed new regional animal control system. Instead, the city contracted local veterinarian Dr. Leslie Kasper to provide field and sheltering services for the city. In January, Kasper gave the city six months notice that she was terminating the contract.

SeaTac and Tukwila opted to go with the county's regional service. Des Moines and Normandy Park have a full-time animal control officer, who is a Des Moines police officer.

Jenn Ramirez Robson, Burien management analyst, told council members April 4 that SeaTac and Tukwila officials report the county is making "an honest effort but there are difficulties" in providing animal control services.

Robson said the two cities would be interesting in pursuing alternatives that could involve a partnership between neighboring cities.

Burien resident Chestine Edgar complained that the proposed $120,000 contract is not enough money to adequately address city animal control problems.

She added that George is not trained as an animal control officer or veterinarian.

Councilman Jack Block said he favored hiring a full-time animal control officer who would be a city employee. He noted that Des Moines' expenses for animal control are approximately $121,000 per year.
Martin said staff would present cost figures for an in-house officer at the April 11 meeting.

In a Times/News interview, George said she disagreed that the SHARES group is not qualified to handle animal control services. She cited extensive training undergone by SHARES members.

"We are trained just as much, if not more, than the majority of animal control officers," George declared.
George added that SHARES was formed as a nonprofit so the group could raise additional funds for such activities as low cost microchipping, spaying and neutering.

Martin said George's extensive work in the community would help with pet adoptions.
"As good as Dr. Kasper was, she was not well-connected to the community," Martin said. "I am much more comfortable with this arrangement."
Martin added that Burien keeps its staffing levels low by involving community members. Awarding the animal control contract to a local group is a way the city can contribute $120,000 a year back into the community, Martin concluded.