Effective immediately, the Cedar Valley Humane Society will provide animal control services for the City of Van Horne.

“We are pleased to be expanding our service area,” says Lonnie Viner, executive director of the Cedar Valley Humane Society. “We have the capacity to provide animal control for additional counties and municipalities, so this feels like a natural progression.” Viner encourages other county and city officials to contact her to learn more about the Cedar Valley Humane Society providing animal control services in their areas.

“As a local nonprofit organization, a large part of our mission is to help as many animals as we can in Eastern Iowa,” she says.

City of Van Horne officials initially approached Viner earlier this year, and the service contract was finalized on April 24, 2015. The contract covers both cats and dogs. Farm animals, birds, wildlife and exotic species are excluded.

According to Viner, it is an industry best practice for animal welfare organizations to have formal agreements with the municipalities they serve.

If a City of Van Horne resident has a stray animal contained on their property, they should contact the Cedar Valley Humane Society at (319) 362-6288 during regular business hours, Monday through Friday noon to 7 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m.

If assistance is needed outside of the shelter’s regular business hours, residents should call the City Clerk’s office at (319) 228-8238. If no answer, they should contact the Benton County Sheriff’s Department at (319) 472-2337.

Residents of Van Horne may also relinquish their owned animals to the Cedar Valley Humane Society for $50 per animal, which is the nonprofit organization’s standard surrender fee for pet owners residing within contracted municipalities.

“Residents who bring us stray animals from within the city limits of a municipality without a contract in place will be directed back to their respective city halls for further

guidance,” says Viner. Residents bringing stray cats from unincorporated Benton County also will be redirected.

According to Viner, in the absence of a service agreement, the Cedar Valley Humane Society is not permitted to shelter those animals.

The Cedar Valley Humane Society provides animal control services to unincorporated Linn County and its municipalities, with the exception of Cedar Rapids, Marion, and Center Point, which have other animal control services providers.

In addition, the organization provides animal control services for stray dogs in unincorporated Benton County, as well as cats and dogs within the city limits of Walford, Urbana, Atkins, and Shellsburg. In Johnson County, the Cedar Valley Humane Society provides animal control services to North Liberty, Swisher, Tiffin, Shueyville, Oxford, and Solon.

For more information, contact the Cedar Valley Humane Society at (319) 362-6288 or visit www.cvhumane.org.

About the Cedar Valley Humane Society

The Cedar Valley Humane Society is a nonprofit organization dedicated to building healthy relationships between people and animals, and eliminating cruelty, abuse and overpopulation of animals through education, adoption services and inspiring compassion for all living things. Since the construction of its present facility in 1969, the open-admission animal shelter has cared for more than 100,000 animals.

The Cedar Valley Humane Society provides animal control services to unincorporated Linn County and its municipalities, with the exception of Cedar Rapids, Marion, and Center Point, which have other animal control services providers.

In addition, the organization provides animal control services for stray dogs in

unincorporated Benton County, as well as cats and dogs within the city limits of Walford,

Urbana, Atkins, Shellsburg, and Van Horne. In Johnson County, the Cedar Valley Humane Society provides animal control services to North Liberty, Swisher, Tiffin, Shueyville, Oxford, and Solon.

Pet adoption and other services are available to residents throughout Eastern Iowa.

The nonprofit organization receives no federal or state funding, nor is it associated with any national organizations such as the Humane Society of the United States or the ASPCA. It relies solely on service fees and donations from the local community to enable it to offer vital services such as animal rescue and critical care for homeless, abandoned, abused, sick, and neglected animals.

The Cedar Valley Humane Society is located at 7411 Mount Vernon Road SE in Cedar Rapids. For more information, please visit www.cvhumane.org.