Fido and Fluffy are Legal – and that’s a Cash Cow for Suburbs

Suburban residents love their pets.

WestPet, which handles pet licensing for West Des Moines, Urbandale and Clive, reported a dramatic increase – 10,368 in 2012, compared with 4,449 in 2011 – according to a Des Moines Register report.

Revenue increased accordingly under the WestPet program for dog and cat licensing. An Omaha company, Humane Enterprises Inc., bills, licenses and collects fees on behalf of the three cities. The additional revenues will help the three cities build a shared shelter, a facility that is desperately needed, West Des Moines Police Lt. Travis Overton said.

In his city, the program brought in revenues of $69,500 in 2012, compared with $24,000 the year prior. The number of pets licensed rose 130 percent, to 5,285 in 2012, compared with 2,297 in 2011.

In Urbandale, the 3,613 licenses issued in 2012 brought in $55,000, compared with only $5,000 the year before. Rates there had been $3 per pet since 1982 until rate hikes were implemented with the three-city WestPet consortium.

In 2011, Urbandale issued 3,613 pet licenses.

In Clive, only 492 pets were registered in 2011, generation $2,500 in revenues. In 2012, the number of pets registered wa 1,470, which brought in revenues of $20,000

Pet licenses for 2013 must be purchased by April 30 to avoid a $25 late fee. The fee schedule is $15 for spayed and neutered dogs, $13 for spayed and neutered cats and fees of $20 and $15 for dogs and cats, respectively, that are not spayed or neutered. A $4 processing fee is attached to each license.