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Residents urge Moore County to remove animal services from sheriff's office, cite high euthanasia rates
Summary
Three residents urged the Moore County Board of Commissioners to shift animal services out of the sheriff’s department and to professionalize shelter operations, alleging inaccurate euthanasia-rate reporting and missing veterinary records; no formal board action was taken during public comment.
Three residents urged the Moore County Board of Commissioners on June 17 to restructure county animal services, arguing the shelter’s current operation under the sheriff’s office has led to high euthanasia rates and poor recordkeeping.
Bill Hammond of Pinehurst told the board the sheriff’s method of calculating euthanasia is “incorrect and misleading,” and said county-provided numbers understate the shelter’s actual euthanasia rate. Hammond said the sheriff’s dashboard listed a 15.92 percent euthanasia rate for April but that including owner-requested and feral-animal euthanasia raises the figure dramatically. “Our shelter needs drastic change from from the top,” Hammond said, urging the board to “remove animal services from the sheriff’s department and replace the operation control with qualified professional personnel.” He said his handout includes the county dashboard and his calculations and left contact information for follow-up.
Major Galloway, whom Hammond asked about veterinary records, was quoted by Hammond as saying, “we hold no responsive records,” and Hammond asked why veterinary care and spay/neuter funds budgeted for 2026 had not been spent.
Tom Daniel, a Carthage veterinarian and longtime volunteer in regional animal-welfare work, told commissioners he has tracked Moore County animal services for decades and urged the board to add a formal agenda discussion about a new management structure. Daniel said he and Chairman Pacerno had previously discussed the need for change and pointed to Guilford County’s model — with trained professionals, an animal center and dedicated volunteers — as an example he hoped Moore County would study.
The three speakers asked the board to consider moving shelter oversight out of the sheriff’s office and toward an independent, professionally managed structure and to prioritize hiring qualified veterinary staff. Commissioners did not take formal action on the issue during the meeting; public comment concluded after the speakers finished and the board proceeded with its agenda.
The residents’ statements included requests for clearer public records and for the board to convene a follow-up discussion; Hammond left documentation and contact information for county staff.
