To replace an expired contract with the Humane Society for Southwest Washington, the Cowlitz County Board of Commissioners announced Tuesday that it plans to use foster homes to temporarily house stray animals.
Commissioner Rick Dahl said at the Tuesday meeting that the county allowed the contract to expire because the proposed renewal was too expensive and would require the county to take on partial liability for the humane society's spay-and-neuter program.
At a Jan. 27 meeting, Cowlitz County Sheriff Brad Thurman said the proposed contract would cost the county $225,000 in 2026, $268,000 in 2027 and $304,000 in 2028.
The humane society released a statement Feb. 24 saying it would no longer accept animals from unincorporated areas of Cowlitz County at its Longview campus starting March 1.
Chief Criminal Deputy Jordan Spencer said the sheriff's office is currently holding the animals it picks up through animal control in the temporary shelter at the Cowlitz County Jail.
The sheriff's office also used the temporary shelter in 2024 when the Humane Society of Cowlitz County stopped providing animal control services. Spencer said it was successful at the time, and over half of the animals housed there were returned to their owners.
The Humane Society of Cowlitz County later merged with the Vancouver-based Humane Society for Southwest Washington, but animal control has remained with local law enforcement and not the nonprofit.
The county and its cities initially joined to negotiate as a group with the humane society for services, Longview Assistant City Manager Chris Collins previously said at a commissioner meeting, but Kalama has since stepped out due to budget constraints.
Longview spokesperson Angela Abel said Wednesday that they are still working with the humane society to finalize the agreement and could not say whether the prices for the remaining municipalities will differ now that the county is no longer involved.
County Commissioner Steve Rader said in an interview the county is in the process of negotiating with other local nonprofits that still accept animals. It's especially focused on finding space for cats because the county doesn't have a facility to house them, he said.
He added that the county does have some space available for dogs.
"Our kennels are up and running," he said.
Dahl said moving animals that can't be returned to their owners to foster care until they can be adopted would be much cheaper than contracting with the humane society. He did not provide an estimate for how much it might cost the county.
"We believe we can do the job and save the taxpayers some money, and still meet the requirements the RCW has," he said.
"We believe we can do the job and save the taxpayers some money, and still meet the requirements the RCW has," he said.
