Warren County Animal Control is almost ready to begin accepting volunteers at the facility.
Animal Control director Kim Pettrey informed members of the county’s Health and Welfare Committee she has had many people ask when the volunteering will begin.
Commissioner Sally Brock said, “Sample volunteer forms are available on Facebook. Or people can pick up forms at County Executive John Pelham’s office in the administrative building. The people will also return the forms to the administrative building. We will handpick volunteers. We definitely need them. There are many, many thing they can help Kim and Karla (employee Karla Fischbach) with.”
The committee voted to approve Animal Control staying open longer hours Mondays and Wednesdays. The facility will now close at 7 p.m. on those days.
“We want to be more community friendly,” said Pettrey. “Many people get off work when we are closing. This way, they will have time to come to the facility, look around, and pick out an animal to adopt.”
Pelham presented Pettrey with a new book to record euthanizations. Records will be kept on the amount of dog sedation used and how much is on hand. The book will be used as a record of how much Fatal Plus is used and how much is on hand. The bound book will also record a stethoscope verification of each animal’s death.
Animal Control has also received 20 staked signs which say, “This is a secure area. Authorized personnel only. All others will be prosecuted.”
The signs will be placed near a pit behind the facility on Paws Lane from which the body of a dead animal was stolen in March. The open pit behind the building is used to dispose of animals that have been euthanized or found dead along county roads.
According to Pelham, members of a rescue organization climbed into the pit and stole the body of a dog then staged the dog for a Nashville news station. The video portrayed the dog as being abused at the facility.
“These people climbed into this pit and ripped open two bags containing dogs. Then, they staged a video and stole the body of one dog. It’s gone,” said Pelham.
According to facility records, there were three dogs in the pit – two that were road kill and one that had been euthanized by a local vet.