Cedar Rapids Animal Care & Control 

UPCOMING EVENTS 

  Voulnteer Orientation
Sunday, My 6, 2012, 1:00 pm, Location:  2109 N. Towne Lane NE

Mission

The mission of the Cedar Rapids Animal Care & Control is to serve and protect with compassion, the animals and citizens of our community through education and enforcement, and to facilitate successful pet adoptions while respecting and striving to improve the quality of life for both pets and people.

History

The Cedar Rapids Animal Care & Control is an 'open admission' shelter with a small staff and corps of volunteers who help care for more than 3,000 animals per year. We accept all animals brought to us from the City of Cedar Rapids and Marion.  We work collaboratively with foster and rescue teams to ensure that our animals are either reunited with their owners or are placed in new, loving homes. 

Cedar Rapids Animal Control was founded in 1958.  The first shelter opened in 1959 at the home of Charles A. Lockhart on Otis Road.  By 1980, the staff had grown to 5, including: an Animal Warden, one kennel attendant, and 3 animal control officers.  The shelter was relocated in 1981 to an abandoned sewage treatment facility on Cedar Bend Lane, where it remained until late Spring of 2008 when the shelter was destroyed in the flood.  Every animal was saved, and an emergency animal shelter was established at Kirkwood Community College until the current temporary shelter was leased on North Towne Lane NE in November of 2008.   A new Program Manager was hired in October 2009 to oversee shelter operations, animal control enforcement, and the new shelter building project.

Plans for the new facility are underway to rebuild on the Kirkwood Community College campus. 

Enforcement

The Cedar Rapids Animal Care & Control provides animal control services for the City of Cedar Rapids only, and provides sheltering for the City of Marion.

Animal Control Officers are authorized to investigate possible animal related law violations and take appropriate enforcement action. Each year, CRACC receives 30,000+ calls for information and service.   Officers conduct hundreds of investigations, ranging from relatively minor code violations to major animal cruelty cases.

In some cases, our officers may promote voluntary compliance by educating owners about their animal care responsibilities; other situations may warrant administrative action and/or prosecution. Additionally, our officers rescue animals that are stray, sick or injured, or endangered by other situations.

If you are aware of a situation that you believe may harm or jeopardize animal welfare (such as animal abuse, neglect, injury, or endangerment) or public health or safety (such as a bite, attack, or harassment of a person by an animal), or that may otherwise be in violation of an animal related law, we urge you to contact our office and report what you have seen or heard. A dispatcher or Animal Services Representative will take a report and forward the information to a trained Animal Control Officer for investigation. Please call us at:  (319) 286-5993

Animal related emergencies and urgent matters may be reported at any time of the day or night, any day of the week.

NOTE: For Any human life threatening situation, please call 9-1-1.

Although we do our best to keep current and reliable information on each report and stray animal in our care, we strongly encourage you to personally visit our shelter to look for your lost pet, since only YOU can accurately identify your pet.  And we encourage you to visit daily until your pet is found.

Unidentified animals are held for only five days (excluding date of impound and Sundays/holidays) for owner reclaim.  Animals that are injured or diseased may be held for a shorter period.  Animals that are not claimed within the five-day holding period may be made available for adoption.  

Off-Leash Dog Park Permits

Cedar Rapids has 2 Off-Leash Dog Parks:

These parks are sponsored by K9COLA, a non-profit organization which supports and promotes safe off-leash areas in and around the Cedar Rapids area.

Dog Park Permits and tags (or daily passes) are required as of October 1, 2011. (2011 permits are valid until the end of 2012.)

The annual permit is good for both parks. Annual permits are $25 per year, with one $5 discount available per dog. Choose from discounts for spay/neuter, passing the K9COLA recall test, or multiple dogs. You will need to present proof of vaccinations and/or proof of spay/neuter from your vet to purchase a permit. If your dog has passed the K9COLA recall test in the past, you will need to show the test certificate to get that discount. K9COLA will be holding recall tests again now that Cheyenne is rebuilt and reopened.

Daily permits will be available for $5 at the dog parks for those pet owners interested in trying them out, or for pet owners visiting the area temporarily.

Permits can be purchased at the Cedar Rapids Animal Care & Control (2109 N Towne Ln NE; phone is 286-5993; email AnimalControl@cedar-rapids.org).  Click here to download a Permit Application:  http://www.cedar-rapids.org/government/departments/animal-control/Documents/Dog%20Park%20Permit%20Application%202010.pdf

If you have questions, contact Cedar Rapids Animal Care & Control at 286-5993, or email K9COLA Site Coordinator, Steve, at steve@k9cola.org.  

Check out K9COLA’s website at www.K9COLA.org. 

Donations

Cedar Rapids Animal Care & Control gratefully accepts monetary donations for the building project as well as animal care and spay/neuter of our orphaned pets.  Donations can be mailed to:

Cedar Rapids Animal Care & Control
2109 North Towne Lane NE
Cedar Rapids, IA  52402

We also maintain a Wish List of items we need a supply of on a daily basis.  These items include:

WISH LIST ITEMS
Bleach
Paper Towels
Sponges
Mr. Clean Magic Markers
Dawn Dish Detergent
Toilet Paper
Copy paper and colored paper stock
Pens
Gift Cards to:  Walmart, Target, PetSmart, and Thiesen's
Big KONGS for the dogs
Cans of Authority brand cat food
Cat carriers
Kitty toys
Kitten formula
Clear plastic storage boxes