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Residents urge Clermont County to fix animal shelter staffing and medical shortfalls
Summary
Residents at the Sept. 18 Clermont County commissioners meeting described understaffing and medical care problems at the county animal shelter and urged the board to prioritize hiring, veterinary access and support for volunteers and trustee help.
Paula Hayden, identifying herself as a 40-year resident of Clermont County, told the Board of County Commissioners on Sept. 18 that the county-run animal shelter is operating in crisis and accused officials of misleading the public about conditions. "Gaslighting, the psychological manipulation ... is exactly what the commissioners have been doing to the communities surrounding the Clermont County animal shelter," Hayden said during public participation, reading a statement supplied by another resident.
Hayden detailed staffing shortages and medical problems: she said the kennel manager is on medical leave, one kennel tech has resigned, and volunteers and a foster saved an emaciated dog that otherwise would have been euthanized. She described a case in which a dog arrived severely underweight, received fluids and antibiotics at the Clermont County Animal Hospital, was nursed by a volunteer, and later went to a foster. "If she was still in the shelter, she would not have made it because we're in red," Hayden said, referring to the shelter's staffing/urgency status.
The commissioners acknowledged the public concerns and described short-term and longer-term steps. The board pointed to three kennel-tech hires included in the consent agenda earlier in the meeting and said recruiting remains difficult. County staff described a sheriff's trustee team (inmates vetted by jail staff) that has been assisting with base-level kennel cleaning several days per week; Angie, a county staff member, said trustees currently help with overnight messes so kennel staff can focus on care and medical tasks.
Commissioners and staff also emphasized limits on veterinary scope: staff noted Ohio law prevents veterinary technicians from administering rabies vaccinations, requiring either a full-time vet or regular veterinarian visits for animals to be cleared for adoption. Commissioners said the county is working to increase staffing and vet access and thanked volunteers and the Disabled American Veterans for community support.
The meeting record shows the board approved the consent agenda that included hires; no additional formal action on the shelter was taken that day beyond the public comments and the personnel items already approved.
Looking ahead, commissioners said hiring efforts will continue and the trustee cleaning program will expand in coming weeks to provide additional support to kennel staff.
