The city of Covington is teaming up with a Kent-based youth organization in order to increase the number of licensed pets while decreasing the cost of providing animal control services through King County.

Project U(th), run by Barry Fretwell, is comprised of about a dozen teenagers — many of whom attend Kentwood or Kentlake — who plan to raise awareness about pet licenses by doing door-to-door in neighborhoods.

“It’s been challenging,” Fretwell said. “The city’s been cooperative. They’ve been great…we’re going to pull it off and it’s going to be rosy in a few weeks. We’re going to have training with the county and then do some door belling in August.”

According to City Manager Derek Matheson, roughly 23 percent of Covington pet owners have licensed their pets. Covington, in addition to other cities within King County, participate in an animal control program that consists of licensing, field services and shelters. Matheson stated that the lower the city’s licensed pet percentage is, the higher their cost is for the animal control program.

For example, last year it cost the county $116,637 to provide animal control services for Covington. Covington residents paid $48,780 in pet licensing fees last year. After receiving a subsidy of $15,364, the city was left with a bill of $52,493.

Project U(th)’s intention is to encourage pet owners to license their pets. The first planned event is scheduled for Aug. 4 at the Covington Petco.

“Anything is an improvement is how everybody’s looking at it,” Fretwell said.

Matheson said it not only helps out the city by reducing costs, but a license provides several benefits for owners.

“Licensed pets are generally reunited with their owner faster,” he said. “They get a free ride the first time they’re found so they don’t go to the shelter. They get more time in the shelter. You can sign up for this vacation pet alert program so they know who to contact in your absence.”

Matheson said the idea first came earlier in the year about when the city was negotiating its three-year contract renewal for animal control services with the county.

Covington council members expressed interest in boosting pet license sales to reduce the city’s out of pocket costs. During the negotiations they learned how other cities in the county had succeeded in that endeavor by using a pet license canvassing program, whereby the city and county used volunteers and temporary employees to reach out to pet owners and encourage licensing.

At the same time, Project U(th) expressed interest in working with the city on pet licenses.

“It was kind of serendipity,” Matheson said. “(We) found the county staff were really eager to help because it was the first time we were involving the private sector or youth in pet license canvassing. It’s kind of a neat public-private partnership and a great example of the role youth can play in city government.”

Fretwell said that Project U(th) intends to continue the program indefinitely.

For more information about Project U(th), go to its website at www.projectuth.org.