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- Weber County Animal Shelter faces staffing shortages and budget shortfalls, impacting operations.
- Advocates urge county leaders for increased funding, with a proposed budget increase receiving positive feedback ahead of the Nov. 24 review.
OGDEN — Advocates for the Weber County Animal Shelter are pleading with county leaders to provide more support in staffing and a budget increase.
A parvo outbreak is adding to the current list of challenges faced by staff at the shelter. They are already operating with a small staff and a budget shortfall, according to Zach Ridderhoff, president of Friends of Weber County Animal Services.
"Since 2017 when they became a no-kill shelter, they've still been operating on the budget of a kill shelter, which is much smaller," he explained. "I think that they're fully staffed at 17. Other shelters that are smaller are staffed at numbers more like 40."
Ridderhoff said that's why the shelter started reducing its hours in August, opening at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and 10 a.m. on Saturdays. The additional time with the doors closed gives staff a chance to try to catch up on cleaning the dozens of kennels.
"I've been here as late as 6 or 7 at night with people who were here at 8 in the morning, and they're still cleaning and they're not done," Ridderhoff said. "And cleaning and feeding — that's normally done before they open – is still getting worked on."
The Friends of Weber County Animal Services is currently pleading with Weber County Commissioners to increase the shelter's budget for the 2025 fiscal year. Ridderhoff said that so far, a proposed increase is getting a positive reception in commission meetings. The commission is scheduled to review its tentative budget on Nov. 24.
Meantime, he said people can help through donations and volunteering, and by choosing to adopt instead of shopping for new pets. He said, as a nonprofit, the Friends of Weber County Animal Services makes sure all donations go directly to helping the animals.
