After fielding several complaints from people about Hermiston’s animal shelter recently, city officials intend to meet with them to hear more about their concerns.

At the Hermiston City Council meeting Monday, Suzanne Phillips, who has complained about the Humane Society of Eastern Oregon Pet Rescue in the past, and three other people, shared concerns about the shelter. Although the complaints were not specific in nature, they argued the shelter needs to change.

On Friday, Assistant City Manager Mark Morgan said, because the complaints were not specific, city officials will try to meet with the concerned residents to get more information.

Their primary concerns appear to center around the fact that Pet Rescue is not a “no-kill” facility.

Phillips said the Pendleton Animal Welfare Shelter operates a “very nice, no-kill or low-kill” shelter and has a much lower euthanasia rate than Hermiston’s Pet Rescue.

Beau Putnam, Pet Rescue’s executive director, said many more people in the community support the facility than those who do not, and many of the detractors’ claims are inaccurate or misleading.

Morgan said the way the Pendleton and Hermiston shelters operate and contract with the cities is different, which could contribute to misperceptions.

He said, when Hermiston Police Department officers apprehend stray animals or ask Pet Rescue to do so, the animals are housed at the shelter for five days, so owners have an opportunity to claim them before they are put up for adoption. The city pays a flat monthly fee for the service to take and house every stray dog apprehended in the city immediately, which is much different than Pendleton’s process, he said.

“What’s interesting is the city of Pendleton is in the process of trying to renegotiate their contract with PAWS because, right now, the police department has their own facility where they hold their dogs for the five days,” he said.

After the holding period, Morgan said PAWS employees do not take all of the dogs from the police department. He said PAWS employees choose what dogs the shelter will admit, and the city is forced to pay additional fees for the remaining animals.

“There have been several instances where the city of Pendleton has had to take those animals to Pet Rescue because PAWS didn’t want to destroy them,” he said.

Putnam said Pet Rescue is an open-door shelter; it will accept all the animals brought in by the police department or surrendered by their owners, who are also charged a fee to cover the costs. HPD brought in 204 dogs last year, Putnam said, and when no-kill shelters in Pendleton and the Tri-Cities are at full capacity, people will bring in animals that are turned away there to his shelter. Pet Rescue has 30 dog kennels, and sometimes two dogs are housed in a single kennel.

In order for the shelter to be able to continue accepting all dogs, some that have not been adopted must be euthanized, he said.

“Euthanasia is always a last resort,” Putnam said. “As long as they’re healthy and not aggressive, I will do the best I can to find that animal a home. It’s every shelter’s goal to be a no-kill.”

He said the term “no-kill” can also be confusing and misleading: Some believe animals are never euthanized, while others believe only healthy, non-aggressive animals are kept, and others believe no-kill shelters have a 90-percent adoption rate. Some shelters even use the term for marketing but still have some animals euthanized elsewhere by veterinarians or other facilities.

Putnam said Pet Rescue is honest with the community and has never claimed to be a no-kill shelter. He said 61 percent of the dogs brought in find homes through adoption or are reunited with their owners. Of the animals euthanized, some are unhealthy while others are aggressive. He said the 39-percent euthanasia rate is also inflated because some owners bring in injured and sick animals just to be euthanized.

Putnam said some animals are transferred to other shelters, but breed and temperament restrictions prevent some from being placed elsewhere. He said most of the animals are listed on Petfinder.com, and the shelter is in the process of creating a website to help find homes for the animals.

He said, while people have complained the shelter does not accept donations or volunteers, that is not true. People can fill out volunteer applications at the shelter and donate supplies or money at the shelter, through the mail or online via PayPal through a link on the shelter’s Facebook page. He said other people have complained the facility is dirty, but many who come in comment on its cleanliness.

“I’d say most of the negative flack that we get is from people who are not here regularly,” he said. “There’s many reasons people have negative comments about us, but 90 percent of people have a good experience because we’re finding homes for animals. … I encourage people to come and see for yourself.”

Judy Kopta, Hermiston, said she recently read negative comments about Pet Rescue on Facebook and was surprised when she visited the shelter Thursday.

“It’s very nice,” she said of the shelter. “I’m very, very impressed with it. It’s clean, smells good. I think they do a wonderful job taking care of Pet Rescue.”

Two of Kopta’s grandchildren took volunteer applications home to fill out, as two Hermiston student volunteers came in and walked some of the dogs.

Putnam said the shelter was built in 1994 after his wife’s grandmother felt there was a need for one in the area.

“Prior to this facility being created, animals were just running everywhere,” he said. “Basically, there was no place to take them. She saw a need, and she basically took them all home. People don’t necessarily see us as home, but they’re warm, and they’re fed. They’re watered. They’re taken care of while we do our best to replace them in homes. I often question what would happen if we did close down. I think people should ask that. We’re doing the best we can here, and we’re always trying to improve each day.”

The Humane Society of Eastern Oregon Pet Rescue is open to the public from noon to 5 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays at 1844 N.W. Geer Road.