On Oct. 29, adoption fees for dogs and cats at the St. Louis County Animal Shelter will double from $40 to $80.
County Executive Sam Page vetoed the bill allowing this change, but the St. Louis County Council unanimously voted to override his veto at its meeting last week.
Page said he vetoed the bill because he wants to increase adoptions at the overcrowded shelter.
“Free adoptions save the county money, reduce euthanasia, and help loving animals find homes faster,” Page said in a statement. “It’s the right thing to do for both our animals and our community.”
Councilman Dennis Hancock said the bill was passed in an attempt to help rectify the county’s $60 million budget deficit by using fees rather than increasing taxes.
Page requested that the council consider legislation allowing for more free adoptions. Hancock said nothing has been done yet regarding that request.
“I don't know that that's going to happen or not,” Hancock said. “I haven't talked to any of my colleagues.”
Animal Care and Control Division Director Malik Johnson said council Chairwoman Rita Heard Days, who introduced the bill, told him she’d work closely with the shelter to see if adoptions go down with the increased cost and would consider reversing the legislation if they do.
Right now, the legislation allows for free adoption events a total of four days per year and in the event of an emergency. Johnson said the shelter’s current population, which is more than 20 animals over capacity, constitutes an emergency – but Hancock doesn’t agree.
“I think we're going to have to look very closely at what an emergency looks like,” Hancock said. “The council controls the legislation that enables that. So if we have something that hasn't been clearly defined, it's up to us to define it, not the people running the shelter.”
Hancock raised concerns that too many free adoptions could jeopardize the safety of the animals, including being used as backyard fighting dogs.
Johnson said this would not be an issue.
“We still do have certain protocols that we go through before we just send the dog out to anyone on the street,” Johnson said. “Just because you have a [driver’s] license doesn't mean that you're going to come and walk out with a dog.”
Before the new legislation, the shelter was not permitted to host any free adoption events.
Hancock, who is running for county executive in 2026, said that raising fees is a temporary solution, and that down the line, the county needs to consider whether it should be in the adoption business at all.
He thinks a better setup would be to have the county be in charge of animal control, but give the animals it collects to other organizations to adopt out.
“I think that would be a real winning situation not only for the county and for the other agencies, but it would also be for the animals,” Hancock said.
Most area shelters have either been at or over capacity recently in the St. Louis area.
Johnson said despite the upcoming fee change, conditions have improved at the struggling shelter. He said the population is steadily declining and the launches of its foster program and spay and neuter clinic have been successful.
The long search for a second veterinarian, which shelter leaders were struggling with in August, concluded with the hiring of Dr. Megan Baebler. Johnson said she is currently working part time with the hope of starting full time next year.
The shelter received significant scrutiny from the county council and the public after the county took back control of it in February when its contract with the Animal Protective Association ended. A parvovirus outbreak and other operational issues led to multiple failed state license inspections, until the shelter finally passed in June. Due to these past problems, Hancock is concerned about its future. He said he receives little communication from Animal Control leadership or the Department of Public Health.
“It's unfortunate that the animals that are in the shelter are the ones that have to suffer the consequences of poor management by the people who run the shelter,” Hancock said.
The shelter’s adoption fee for any animal besides a dog, cat, kitten or puppy remains at $40.
