More people have been surrendering their pets to the Metro Animal Shelter in recent years, and that has caused problems for the shelter, according to a press release from the Casper Police Department.

Surrendering a pet should be a last resort for an owner and done to protect pets in unforeseen emergency situations.

However, the fee structure at Metro has allowed people to misuse the spirit of that policy, and receiving more pets has put a strain on the capacity of the facility.

Best Friends Animal Society recently conducted an independent evaluation of Metro, and  recommended it change its animal surrender process to align with industry best practices, citing that fact that shelters should be the last resort for pet owners.

Surrendering a pet at Metro requires an appointment, an in-person interview, and a $60 per animal fee.

The shelter recommends using no-cost resources such as Home-home.org and rehome.adoptapet.com for area residents to re-home pets before making an appointment to surrender at the shelter.

Adoption fees at Metro will remain the same. The cost to adopt a dog is $50 and the cost to adopt a cat is $35. Included in the adoption fee is a microchip and a voucher for a free health exam.

A $100 deposit is required for the adoption of an unaltered animal, this deposit is refunded with proof of spay/neuter.

Metropolitan Animal Services is a division of the City of Casper’s Police Department and is comprised of the Metro Animal Shelter and Animal Protection Officers.

Metro's user agencies include Natrona County, the Town of Bar Nunn, the City  of Mills, and the Town of Evansville.

For more information visit caspermas.org

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