City waives some pet adoption fees

City officials have joined forces to waive the adoption fee for Monroe County residents who have lost a pet in a fire.\nThe City of Bloomington Fire Department and Animal Care and Control Division announced the program last week.\n“It is our hope that this program will help the family start to rebuild their lives after a fire, and in the process save a shelter animal that might otherwise not be adopted,” said Fire Prevention Officer Scott Smith in an e-mail.\nWhile losing a pet in a fire is not uncommon, the fire department hopes to ease the pain a family might experience by waiving the adoption fee for a pet in need, Smith said.\nWhile the program has been in the making for around a year, it was not announced until Jan. 9. Reasons for this include the time it takes to work out the details, get the city’s approval and print the forms, Smith said.\n“The Fire Department approached us,” said Laurie Ringquist, director of Animal Care and Control Division. “They have been working on it for quite a while.”\nAlthough Smith said no particular incident prompted the creation of the new program, Smith did note that “everyone involved has had a positive reaction.”\nThe fire department is responsible for giving the family who has lost the pet the necessary forms. After completing the form, the family can either return it to the Fire Department or to the Animal Shelter and then adopt an animal. The program will also act retroactively and allow families who have lost a pet in 2007 to adopt one in 2008 without a fee.\n“A house fire is a traumatic event for any family,” Mayor Mark Kruzan said in a press release. “This collaboration is a wonderful way for families to begin recovering from the terrible losses created by fires.”