Residents urge county to form animal services committee and fund affordable spay/neuter

Several local animal-welfare advocates told the Union County Board of Commissioners on Feb. 3 that the county’s animal ordinances and services need updating to reflect rapid population growth and rising shelter intake.

Katie Ryan, who said she is president of a local volunteer group and leads volunteer work with Union County animal services, asked commissioners to establish a citizen animal services committee made up of veterinarians, nonprofit leaders, business owners and livestock owners to review county ordinances and service capacity. Ryan told the board the county’s ordinances have not been updated since 1997 and said animal control officers are stretched thin as shelter impoundments have risen about 20% in the past four years.

Laura Surr, an animal welfare advocate, and April Thomas of House of Pearls described the practical impacts of limited, affordable spay/neuter options. Surr said the Monroe low-cost spay/neuter clinic has performed more than 44,250 surgeries since 2011 and that county funding once enabled 576 animals to be altered. She asked the county to consider a community partner grant to the Humane Society of Union County to expand low-cost services for seniors, veterans and limited-income families.

Thomas described a recent incident in which three abandoned dogs that took shelter on her nonprofit’s property produced 17 dogs and puppies; she said animal control could not remove the animals because the dogs were not classified as dangerous under current ordinances. The group said vaccinating and sterilizing those animals cost more than $5,000 and that community rescues helped manage the situation.

Speakers urged a combination of updated ordinances, more enforcement capacity, and county-funded affordable spay/neuter to reduce shelter intake and decrease the number of healthy animals euthanized when shelter space runs out. Commissioners asked county staff for the process to form an advisory committee and were told a board direction would trigger staff to draft bylaws, advertise openings and recommend appointment options. No formal board action on the animal services proposal was taken during the meeting.