With the action of the Kitsap County Commission this week, Kitsap County has become a more animal-friendly county.

Like many other places in the state, it will now benefit animal owners — specifically cat and dog owners — to microchip their furry friends.

Under the new ordinance, animals with microchips will be returned directly to owners when the owners can be identified by a microchip. That avoids the cost of transporting and housing the lost cat or dog at the local shelter.

And, with the new ordinance, licensed animals will be held at the shelter longer than unlicensed pets before being released for adoption.

Just as important is the action that pets who are spayed or neutered will be less expensive to be licensed, thus encouraging pet owners to have their animals altered to prevent more unwanted cats and dogs ending up at the shelter.

An example is a dog that is neutered and has a microchip can be licensed for $10 a year, $20 for three years, or $40 for lifetime. A female dog that is spayed, with a microchip can be licensed for $25 for a year and $50 for three years.

That same dog, not spayed or neutered and without a microchip, can cost up to $200 to be licensed. Cats, too, if spayed, neutered and chipped, will be less expensive to license.

County officials and those at the Kitsap Humane Society which operates the animal control responses in Kitsap County under contract with the county, are to be congratulated in taking these steps.

With the help of a county-appointed committee that helped draft the revised animal ordinance, Kitsap County is creating a place that supports animal control operations.

There’s nothing more cute than a kitten or a puppy, except a kitten and a puppy that has a home.

Take a visit to the Kitsap Humane Shelter and see the over abundance of cats and dogs that need somewhere to call home.

Shelter officials do a great job of caring for the animals that arrive at their door. But even they would love to be put out of business.

By being responsible pet owners, and spaying or neutering our pets, and by getting them microchipped and licensed, we are helping create a county where animal over population may just be a thing of the past.

We are helping to reduce the costs of animal control and we are helping make our pets a priority.