Yellowknife city council drops city-run dog pound from budget

Yellowknife city council removed $550,000, intended to operate its own dog pound, from the city's draft budget on Monday.

Council made the unanimous decision as part of its budget review. 

The city's previous dog pound contractor, Great Slave Animal Shelter, pulled out of an agreement with the city in May 2024 due to staffing issues.

"I think it's safe to say everyone knows that Yellowknife is a dog community," said Craig MacLean, the city's director of public safety.

MacLean said the city has long relied on private contractors for the dog pound, but now there's increased demand and a lack of staffing capacity.

He said the city has found a partner to take on the responsibility of dog impoundment, but only for the short term. 

"This is not a permanent solution," MacLean said. 

The city typically pays $27,000 to $30,000 a year for dog impoundment.

This year, it paid $60,000, according to the city. Part of that money was from a court case it faced because kennels were beyond capacity, MacLean said. 

MacLean's presentation to council provided the option to purchase a prefabricated 16-kennel building.

He said in 2023, there were 767 licensed dogs in Yellowknife, with 537 this year to date. 

The pound would recover missing animals and return them back to the owner as quickly as possible.

Two municipal enforcement officers would be hired to work there, MacLean said. 

He said the prefabricated dog pound would save the city $40,000 annually.  

City council ultimately voted against including the project, saying that more analysis is needed before going forward with it.

City budget deliberations continue Tuesday evening and run through Thursday evening.