A bidding war is heating up between two Sioux Falls area animal shelters.

Only two shelters placed bids to shelter animals for the city of Sioux Falls. Second Chance Rescue Center currently has the city contract and offered a five-year bid totaling a cost of $1,141,439. The Sioux Falls Area Humane Society, who held the contract up until Second Chance took over three years ago, also entered a bid totally $584,000 over five years. Now it will be up to the city to decide where they'll award the contract.

For three years, when Sioux Falls animal control officers would pick up stray cats or dogs, they'd come to the Second Chance Rescue Center. Now that contract is set to expire, and the city is looking at bids.

"We know what they're facing if they get the contract. I guess I'm really concerned how that's going to work on that type of bid,"  Rosey Quinn said.

Rosey Quinn of the Second Chance Rescue Center says there's still room for negotiations in her bid that totaled $225,000 for the first year. The Humane Society's bid says it will charge the city $115,000 for the first year.

“We have buildings that are not being used at this time for an overflow. But all of the buildings on our site we do own, so that's one of the things we do have available to the public," Kori Baade of the Sioux Falls Area Humane Society said.

One major difference between the contract that will go into effect in January and those of the past is that whoever gets the contract won't be responsible for certain duties.

That will include investigating animal neglect and cruelty cases. Instead, the city's animal control officers will take on that work. That's why Kori Baade of the Sioux Falls Area Humane Society says they can offer the sheltering services at a much cheaper rate than in the past.

Both sides say they want the work but the contract isn't a make-or-break issue.

"We haven't had the contract for three years. So obviously the humane society is still here. There's plenty of animals in the city of Sioux Falls, obviously you can see that by having two animal shelters," Baade said.

“We'll be fine if we don't get the city contract. We'll just keep doing what we've always done and that's working with animals and working with the people of the communities that we service," Quinn said.

For now, where the contract goes is up to city leaders.