Why are there so many stray dogs in South Elgin?

A couple of South Elgin officials have a theory as to why dog collection costs the town thousands of dollars.

Instead of bringing their unwanted dogs to the Anderson Animal Shelter, people --either from the village or other towns -- abandon them in the village, knowing police will collect them and bring them to the shelter, say police Chief Chris Merritt and Village Manager Larry Jones.

But this brand of doggie detail doesn't come cheap.

For every pooch officers escort to the shelter, the department forks over $275.

In 2007, the village spent between $14,500 and $15,950 to bring 58 dogs to the animal shelter, taking a bite out of the budget.

And in 2006, it ponied up $17,500 for 70 dogs, officials said. Anderson started charging $275 on Nov. 1, but previously charged $250 for the same service.

"We do our job when an animal's loose, but just because the shelter is in town doesn't mean we should be penalized," Merritt said.

Jones adds, "The mere fact that we have an animal shelter here should not cause added cost to the village."

Others pay less

All the more frustrating for village officials is that the town's neighbors of similar size don't share the same experience.

Geneva and Batavia, both of which have slightly more people than South Elgin's population of roughly 21,000, have turned in fewer stray dogs.

In Geneva, a town of 24,000 people, there were 10 dogs rounded up this year, according to figures from the Kane County Animal Control Department.

Batavia, with 27,401 residents, netted 50 dogs in 2007.

Unlike South Elgin, Batavia and Geneva take their dogs to the Kane County Animal Control Department, where police pay $75 for every unwanted dog they turn in.

For more than 25 years, Anderson Animal Shelter has been the dog pound for Elgin, South Elgin, Carpentersville, West Dundee and East Dundee.

And the money it charges the towns for that privilege helps pay for the animals' medical expenses, which typically cost around $400, said Sarah Hill, the nonprofit shelter's executive director.

To that end, the shelter suggests a voluntary $100 donation for every dog that's brought in by someone.

Yet Hill has a story that lends credibility to speculation that people abandon dogs in the village first and ask questions later.

Hill says she saw a family bring a dog to Anderson, but officials turned it away because there wasn't any room.

Before the family left, Hill says she referred them to other places that accept stray dogs.

Some time after that, a South Elgin police officer arrived at the shelter with the same dog, she said.

"That's the only case that comes to mind," Hill said. "We may have had others that I'm just not aware of."

For now, all police can do is work with the shelter to figure out an answer and look for violators. Merritt says nobody so far has been charged with dog abandonment.

Until officials can figure out what to do about the costly problem, Merritt is prepared to request anywhere between $20,000 and $30,000 from the village for dog catcher duties in fiscal year 2008.

"It's money that we could be spending on other things, but this is a service that we have to provide and everything in today's age is expensive," he said.

Lost dogs galore

Here's how dog collection in South Elgin stacks up to towns of similar size

S. Elgin population: 21,005

2007: 58 dogs

2006: 70 dogs

2005: 61 dogs

Geneva population: 23,975

2007: 10 dogs

2006: 44 dogs

2005: 51 dogs

Batavia population: 27,401

2007: 50 dogs

2006: 60 dogs

2005: 57 dogs

Sources: Kane County Animal Control Department, South Elgin Police Department and the US Census.