Photo by Shelley Hanson Belmont County Commission Vince Gianangeli, President J.P. Dutton and Commissioner Jerry Echemann conduct Wednesday’s regular commission meeting.

ST. CLAIRSVILLE — The Belmont County Commission thanked a local company for its recent $3,000 donation to the county animal shelter, noting such contributions help keep the facility running.

President J.P. Dutton said the Ohio Motor Group donated $3,000 to the shelter. He thanked the business for their support.

“Donations like this go a long way,” he said.

Later in the meeting, resident Dan Morris inquired about the county using an outside company, DocuPet, to handle pet licenses for the county. Morris said it was not a problem for him, but he believes for those who do not use a computer it may make it difficult to get a license for their pet.

Dutton said the county decided to try DocuPet because there had been “some frustration with the old process” and in maintaining the related database. He said the commission inquired with other county commissions about using the company and it was recommended.

Dutton said the county could decide to stop using the company if it does not work out.

“We could reverse course at some point,” he noted.

Pet license fees also help support the shelter. And getting lost dogs and cats back to their owners keeps them out of the shelter.

The new DocuPet licenses come with a DocuPet tag that features a link and phone number to the pet’s profile, including emergency contact information if the pet is found.