Jan. 19—The Clark County Dog Warden’s Office and shelter are at risk of cutting staff, which would then force it to reduce services provided and the number of dogs it can keep.

Dog warden Sandi Click said the office is about $70,000 short of necessary funds, mostly due to a large number of people not purchasing or maintaining their dogs’ licenses. She said if the department faces cuts, the office will have to reduce the number of strays and injured dogs it picks up, and the euthanasia rate might go up.

“Not enough people buy dog licenses; they are of the opinion that if their dog is kept inside or they live in the county, they don’t have to buy license, and that is not true at all,” Click said. “Every dog in the state of Ohio has to be licensed; that is a state law.”

>> PHOTOS: Dogs ready for adoption at Clark County dog shelter

Dog licenses are required by Ohio law for all dogs older than three months, and licenses must be renewed annually. From December through January, a license is $22. Outside of those two months, a penalty license is $44 for the year. However, 3-year licenses can be purchased for $66, and lifetime licenses are $220.

Clark County public information officer Mike Cooper said dog license revenue pays for the entire dog and kennel fund, and this has decreased significantly.

Click said the license revenue pays for services like picking up strays, taking injured dogs to the vet or getting them euthanized, and paying employees. She said while donations are welcome and helpful, these go toward caring for the dogs. By law, donations cannot pay for the general operations of the shelter.

“If somebody told me, ‘I only have $50 to give you; would you rather I buy a penalty license or would you rather I just hand you the money?’ at this point I would rather have the $44 for the penalty license,” Click said. “I need that license money to keep people working.”

Click said the county dog shelter provides more services, like medication and treatment for its animals, than required and is the norm. The warden’s office also investigates animal cruelty and abandonment cases, bites or attacks, enforces dog-related laws and ensures public health and safety related to dogs.

The shelter is currently housing 43 dogs, 25-30 of which are adoptable, Click said.

To adopt a dog, clients should bring in any children or other dogs to meet their potential new friend to ensure they get along well, Click said. There is a $77 adoption fee sale until the end of the month, which includes spaying or neutering, shots, licenses, microchips and pre-vet checkups. Dogs can be taken home the same day in most cases, she said.

Click urged the public to post any stray dogs they see on the Animals Lost & Found Springfield Facebook page before taking it to the shelter to give the owner the opportunity to claim their pet.

“A lot of people are bringing dogs in that have hardly left their property, and the minute they see it running, they bring it in, and that’s what clogs our kennels up,” Click said. “We’d like to see folks be able to just claim their dogs. And of course the most important thing is to keep the license tag on the dog.”

If a dog comes in not wearing a license tag, it is legally considered a stray and can be adopted or sent to a rescue after three days. If it has a tag, it can stay at the shelter for 14 days, Click said.

“It’s your dog’s insurance policy to get home safely if there is a tag on its collar,” Click said.

The county dog shelter, at 5201 Urbana Road, is open Monday, Tuesday, Friday and Saturday from noon to 3 p.m.