Shelter posts photos of dogs online

The Springfield-Greene County Health Department is posting photographs of dogs that are picked up by the county animal shelter on its Web site.

The images are posted daily, and each remains online for five days.

The new system eliminates errors that can be made when shelter officers or dog owners don’t accurately describe the animals over the phone. The site also can save dog owners a trip to the shelter if the pets are identified online.

Not all animals in custody of the shelter are photographed, so officials encourage owners to call if their dogs are not on the site.

The shelter, 4002 N. Farmer, accepts 60 dogs on average each week. Hours of operation are 8:30 a.m.-9:30 a.m., 12 p.m.-1 p.m. and 4 p.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Weekend and holiday hours are 8:30 a.m.-9:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m.

A state ID, a license plate number and pickup fees are required to claim a dog from the shelter.