Residents Press County on Animal Shelter Intake, Care and Transparency

Several residents at the Aug. 2025 Spalding County Board of Commissioners meeting urged the board to require the county animal control shelter to follow state and local law on impoundment, intake and care and to make shelter policies transparent. The pleas came during the public-comment period, where speakers described repeated attempts to get the shelter to pick up stray animals, long holds for animals used as evidence in criminal cases and repeated refusals to accept unaltered strays. Multiple speakers said volunteer rescuers and citizens have been turned away when offering help. The issue drew extended public attention because speakers alleged a mismatch between the shelter’s mission statement and its practices. Resident Jamie Webb told the board she found a stray, cared for the dog and then struggled to get assistance from the shelter: “This is not personal. This is a crisis and we need to solve it as a community,” Webb said. Rachel Sims said five dogs had been at the shelter since 2023 and asked whether those animals had been offered to rescues. Speakers raised operational concerns including delays in response times, animals left in extreme heat, and a claim that the shelter had denied impoundment after a cat bit two people; a citizen later took the cat for rabies testing and reported the test was positive. Heather Go forth asked the board to require animal control to “impound strays as required by law” and cited Spalding County Code section 12-10-15 on stray holds and property-rights protections. County staff and officials responded during and after public comments. County staff said they had reached out to the district attorney’s office to push court-held cases forward; the county manager reported about 27 dogs were being held as evidence at the time. Deputy County Manager summarized a July 31 Georgia Department of Agriculture inspection that found no violations and reported the shelter housed 78 dogs and 48 cats on the inspection date; the report noted clean enclosures, proper storage of food and medicines and that euthanasia is handled off-site by a licensed veterinarian. Board members acknowledged both the shelter’s inspection results and residents’ concerns. Several commissioners offered to help mediate between volunteers and shelter staff; one said the problem was largely human conflict between volunteers and staff and offered to facilitate talks. The board directed staff to continue working with the district attorney and the courts to accelerate cases that prevent animals from leaving the shelter and to report back on options for improving intake and transparency. The public comments included dispute over whether volunteers had been denied entry or policy guidance; some speakers emphasized rescues were actively taking animals when space permitted. Michael Renew, who said the shelter took in 80 animals in July and that 76 left through rescues or adoptions that month, urged perspective. The deputy manager said the county will provide administrative follow-up and ensure processes are clear to the public. The county did not adopt a new ordinance or change shelter leadership at the meeting; commissioners and staff said they would continue follow-up steps with the district attorney’s office, clarify shelter procedures and explore mediation between volunteers and shelter management.