JEFFERSON COUNTY, Fla. (WCTV) – The Jefferson County Board of County Commissioners is set to discuss its animal control facility at the next meeting Thursday. <\/p>\n
The agenda item states \u201cDue to citizen concerns, Jefferson County has revisited the state of our animal control facilities.\u201d <\/p>\n
Animal control has faced recent scrutiny<\/a> after authorities said no one checked on the dogs for a few days, and they didn\u2019t have heat lamps during cold temperatures. One puppy reportedly died, and another disappeared. <\/p>\n Jefferson County animal advocate Rachel Herman said she is glad to see the commission taking up the issue at Thursday\u2019s meeting. <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m hoping this is going to start the discussion,\u201d Herman said. \u201cIt\u2019s 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.\u201d <\/p>\n More news out of the Big Bend:<\/p>\n WCTV reached out to county manager Shannon Metty for comment ahead of Thursday\u2019s meeting. She deferred to the information in the agenda request. <\/p>\n \u201cStaff 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,\u201d part of the document reads. <\/p>\n It also lists several \u201cimprovements\u201d 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. <\/p>\n The county also reported there is now a written log system to track routine cleaning and animal welfare checks. <\/p>\n \u201cI think they deserve better and that drives me. I want to see a better situation for them,\u201d Herman said. \u201cI want them to have better care. I want them to be treated with respect and dignity. I think it\u2019s important.\u201d <\/p>\n Herman plans to attend Thursday\u2019s commission meeting. It\u2019s scheduled for 6 p.m.<\/p>\n To keep up with the latest news as it develops, follow WCTV on Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, YouTube<\/a>, Nextdoor<\/a> <\/a>and X<\/a> (Twitter<\/a>).<\/p>\n Have a news tip or see an error? Write to us here<\/a>. Please include the article\u2019s headline in your message.<\/p>\n Be the first to see all the biggest headlines by downloading the WCTV News app. Click here<\/a> to get started.<\/p>\n Copyright 2026 WCTV. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n