JEFFERSON COUNTY, Fla. (WCTV) – The Jefferson County Board of County Commissioners is set to discuss its animal control facility at the next meeting Thursday.
The agenda item states “Due to citizen concerns, Jefferson County has revisited the state of our animal control facilities.”
Animal control has faced recent scrutiny after authorities said no one checked on the dogs for a few days, and they didn’t have heat lamps during cold temperatures. One puppy reportedly died, and another disappeared.
Jefferson County animal advocate Rachel Herman said she is glad to see the commission taking up the issue at Thursday’s meeting.
“I’m hoping this is going to start the discussion,” Herman said. “It’s not going to be an end-all at this meeting, but it will open it up and get people motivated to make the necessary changes.”
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WCTV reached out to county manager Shannon Metty for comment ahead of Thursday’s meeting. She deferred to the information in the agenda request.
“Staff has identified several key improvements that are not high cost and are simple fixes to improve the state of the facilities as well as better monitoring of the animals in our care,” part of the document reads.
It also lists several “improvements” the county says are currently happening. Some of the changes include cameras being installed in and around the kennels, an on-call system to make sure staff are available, and the installation of heat sensors to make sure kennel temperatures remain comfortable.
The county also reported there is now a written log system to track routine cleaning and animal welfare checks.
“I think they deserve better and that drives me. I want to see a better situation for them,” Herman said. “I want them to have better care. I want them to be treated with respect and dignity. I think it’s important.”
Herman plans to attend Thursday’s commission meeting. It’s scheduled for 6 p.m.
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