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'We listened': Monroe County sheriff unveils revamped Animal Control shelter operations

Blake Bacho
The Monroe News
Monroe County Animal Control officer Madison Bohmer helps Brian Doran with getting his dog license for his dog, Sandie, Wednesday, May 18, 2022. Sommer Polland (left) and Animal Control officer Darby Young (right) are also pictured. The lobby at Animal Control was recently revamped to provide more space and visibility for both employees and incoming patrons.

The Monroe County Sheriff's Office has unveiled a slew of upgrades to its Animal Control facility that are intended to address concerns voiced recently regarding the shelter's operations.

Monroe County Sheriff Troy Goodnough reviewed a list of completed and planned projects for the shelter at the county board of commissioners' meeting Tuesday. The improvements are the outcome of a full audit and assessment of the shelter that occurred last month following allegations that three dogs at the shelter were being neglected.

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Residents spoke both for and against Monroe County Animal Control in a lengthy public comment session at the county commissioners' meeting on April 5. Several individuals who identified themselves as volunteers at the shelter told the commissioners that the facility is poorly operated, ill-equipped and unsanitary, and that the animals in its care are suffering as a result. They called for the board to order an independent investigation of the shelter in conjunction with the sheriff's office's audit and assessment.

News report:Citizens speak on Monroe County animal control issues during commissioner meeting

News report:Monroe County Sheriff's office evaluating animal control following complaints

"Obviously you (the commissioners) had a group of individuals come before you (last month) related to some concerns they had with Animal Control," Goodnough said Tuesday. "I just kind of wanted to bring you up to speed, and I think you all know we listened, we continue to listen, and we take all the feedback, good, bad or indifferent, that we get."

The sheriff said that updates have been made to the shelter's outdoor dog runs, built just last year in memory of Animal Control Officer Darrian Young, who was killed in 2020 by a drunk driver.

Goodnough also said that his office is working with James S. Jacobs Architects to construct new, concrete masonry block kennels, which he says his research has told him will last longer than the shelter's current metal ones.

"With that we are going to propose building two quarantine kennels," Goodnough said. (That way,) if pets come in and we're unsure of their health, we don't have to worry about contaminating the rest of the shelter with a disease that the dog may carry."

One of the complaints brought to the sheriff's attention was the shelter's poor ventilation. Goodnough said that upon investigation of the issue, it was discovered that when a supplemental air handler unit was installed on the shelter's roof nearly three years ago, the contractor mistakenly disconnected the primary unit.

"We knew that the old unit couldn't keep up, so how was the new one, independently, going to do that?" Goodnough said. "So we have the contractor who did the job coming out to reconnect that unit, and hopefully we'll see a significant difference in the ventilation system inside the structure."

Animal Control's main lobby has been entirely revamped as well, with the employees' old, partitioned work spaces reorganized to provide a more open, inviting scene for incoming patrons.

"When they re-did the lobby, they put barriers up," Goodnough explained. "So everybody working was behind a partition. You came in the door and saw nobody. I said 'That's got to go.' We flipped everything around, and now you come in the door and see all the employees and you're greeted, and hopefully your transaction with the shelter is much more friendly."

Those interested in adopting a pet were previously given a three-ring binder full of pictures of animals currently in the shelter's care. A television has replaced the binder, with the screen displaying up-to-date information about every animal available for adoption.

More information will be available on the television versus the old binder, as Animal Control is now following a more comprehensive intake program when a new animal comes into the facility. Each animal is first scanned to see if they have been microchipped, then given a full health assessment so the shelter's staff and volunteers know how to properly treat them.

"What we're doing is we're modeling Animal Control after the jail division," Goodnough explained. "When an inmate comes into the jail, we take a full bio, everything we can get from that individual, weight, health... With the pets, we're doing that same thing now."

Goodnough said that several other projects will soon be implemented at Animal Control. He's working towards getting all of the shelter's animals on the same food, and ceasing the acceptance of donated food in order to better monitor the animals' health. He also hopes to bring either a veterinarian or vet technician on board to help monitor the pets' health.

Finally, the sheriff said he will soon request the commissioners' approval to revamp the county's licensing structure for pets, moving from an annual renewal to a three-year license with what he called "incentives."

"That will cut down on the traffic in Animal Control." Goodnough explained. "Right now you can only buy a license from December 1 through March 1, so we get 8,000 people coming in (in that time frame). Plus we mail out about $2,400 worth of letters. I'd like to do it twelve months out of the year...

"We're going to cut down on our counter activity, and allow us more time to spend caring for the pets and working toward adoption."