‘Maybe we kill it’: This Utah police station is taking in strays after an ongoing battle with the local animal shelter

Logan • Police are setting up kennels at a northern Utah police station for stray animals after a split with the local Humane Society left the city of Logan without an animal shelter.

The rift that started over impounding and boarding fees has grown increasingly fraught, and Police Chief Gary Jensen told the Herald Journal newspaper the shelter has changed its locks.

“If you call us and you have a vicious dog, will we come and get it? Yeah,” Jensen said. “I’m not quite sure what we’ll do with it. Maybe we kill it.”

Cache Humane Society Executive Director Stacey Frisk has denied purposely locking city officers out of the shelter, and said she's worried about animals being kept in police-station kennels.

“I just have no idea what the standard of care is,” she said.

The split in the decadelong arrangement began after the humane society asked for a “modest” rate increase to help pay for the transition to becoming a no-kill shelter, Frisk said.

The city proposed paying the shelter a lump annual sum rather than a daily rate, but shelter staffers said the plan would mean they couldn't afford to properly care for the animals.

The relationship now appears damaged beyond repair, Jensen said. He expects the city will find a new solution for lost or stray animals, though it’s not clear when that might happen. Many other areas in the state have animal shelters are funded by local government. The current contract ends Wednesday.

“This has become so emotional,” Jensen said. “We’ve been partners for years.”