Opening hours at the pound from 9am to 10am on weekdays, has lead to Paws, Hoofs and Claws Inc. founder and president Sue Carson calling for a change to be more friendly to working Mount Isans.

"It does make it difficult if you are working and you need to either pick up your pet or if you want to adopt one," she said.

But council chief executive officer Bhan Pratap said the 9am-10am timeframe referred to when the pound was manned by staff.

"People who still want to claim or adopt pets can still do so within regular business hours by contacting the council animal control officer and arranging an appointment," he said.

Mr Pratap said the set hours meant staff could be out picking up stray animals throughout the day.

He said staffing and resourcing issues were the reasons for not being able to extend the hours the pound was being manned.

"We would also need to cover the extra cost of having staff at the pound for extra hours by altering other parts of the budget," he said.

Mr Pratap said he welcomed the feedback from Mrs Carson.

"We are happy to receive any suggestion that might increase the number of people visiting the pound," he said.

"We are just about to complete a survey relating to this issue, of which we will be looking to compile and report in the near future."

Mrs Carson said the figures announced by Mount Isa City Council on impounded dogs and cats was a distressing reminder of the need to educate the community about the responsibilities of pet ownership.