Sugar Land animal services outlines staffing, expanded hours and new shelter design

Melissa Hobson, animal services administrator for the City of Sugar Land, told the Animal Advisory Board that her first 90 days on the job have focused on mission, staffing and operational changes intended to improve conditions for animals and increase community access to the shelter.

Hobson said the department revised shelter hours on June 28 to keep the doors open during operating hours, add two evening hours each weekday and add an extra hour on Saturdays; visitor traffic has risen about 27% under the new schedule. "At its core, it's protecting both the community and the animals in our care," Hobson said of the draft mission and vision she presented to the board.

The administrator described an updated organizational structure with three divisions—shelter, field and administration—and named leadership roles: Hobson as administrator and Mark Grofus as deputy administrator. Hobson told the board that three staff positions in field services are currently vacant (a field supervisor, an animal services officer and a part-time kennel technician), and that two full-time kennel technicians and…