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Volunteers urge reinstatement after county pauses Hearts Unleashed program
Summary
Two longtime volunteers and rescue partners criticized the county’s pause of Hearts Unleashed at the Fairfield County Animal Shelter, citing transfers of 408 animals and warning that a suspension of volunteer access harms animal outcomes; county staff said the pause is temporary while formal volunteer policies are developed.
Speakers at the Fairfield County Council public‑comment period on March 23 sharply criticized the county’s decision to pause the Hearts Unleashed volunteer program at the Fairfield County Animal Shelter and asked the council to reinstate the program.
Boo Major, who identified himself as a District 2 resident, told the council the disassociation with Hearts Unleashed and its volunteer program is "a travesty for the animals at the shelter," saying volunteers like Heather Feltner have worked "tirelessly" to help abandoned animals and that a pause on volunteers leaves animals "vulnerable to the whims of those ... put in charge." Major said the volunteer suspension created distrust and urged transparency.
Cathy Faulk, resident and president of Huffman Paw, told the council she previously praised shelter staff after a period with high live outcomes and said that, from August to December, "408 animals have been transferred out, mostly into rescue with a few adoptions." Faulk said rescue partners were notified that the shelter had parted ways with Heather Feltner and Hearts Unleashed and that several rescues said they would not work with the shelter without that coordinator.
During council time, Councilman Golba pressed county staff for a plan to move forward. Mr. Carpenter said the decision to pause volunteering was his and was made because the county lacked a formal volunteer program: "We had no rules, we had no guidelines, we had no policies, we had no job descriptions. We had no application process." He said the pause is intended to protect the county, volunteers and staff and that the county aims to finalize a program within 7 to 10 days so volunteers can resume under clarified expectations.
Council did not take an immediate vote on the shelter staffing or volunteer arrangements at the meeting. Several speakers asked the council to prioritize transparency and to engage rescue partners in restoring volunteer operations.
