ROCKINGHAM — Staff training and pet-owner responsibility are two things Jeff Smart, chairman of the Richmond County Board of Commissioners, said could help improve conditions at the county-run animal shelter.
During his closing remarks at Tuesday’s meeting, Smart said the county had received several comments regarding the recent fines levied against the shelter by the state.
The fines centered around an incident from last summer involving an injured dog.
The N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Veterinary Division Animal Welfare Section levied a $2,000 penalty against the shelter for failure to care for an injured dog, as well as a $250 penalty for failing to clean cages twice a day.
The latter infraction was revealed during the investigation when it was discovered that shelter staff had clocked out early the day the dog in question was brought to the shelter.
The shelter also received a warning failing to have staff on hand to feed kittens and puppies less than 6 months of age at least twice daily with a minimum 8-hour interval between feedings; and for failing to provide full written disclosure of the medical condition of an animal to the owner.
This was the second time in recent years the shelter was cited.
The shelter was issued a penalty in 2019 for two violations — including failure to provide treatment to an injured dog — which led to thousands of dollars in renovations.
Smart said the board, which has four new commissioners, isn’t ignoring the issue.
“We are reviewing it and watching it every day to make sure things are run properly,” Smart said.
Smart added there were several positives about the shelter.
“We’ve been able to save and get a lot of animals back in homes,” he cited as an example.
“As always, there’s a chance when you’re dealing with hurt animals or neglected animals that you’ll run into very difficult situations,” Smart said. “You just have to be trained how to handle those situations and we’re looking into the proper training to make sure all that happens … and we’re looking into some other items, too, to make the future successful out there at our animal shelter.”
Smart said he recognizes it is a sensitive issue for a lot of people and wants residents to know commissioners aren’t ignoring the situation or public comments.
“It is an ongoing issue that we are very close at hand with our county manager and our department heads …we’ll continue to watch this and make it a successful operation, like all of us want to see happen.”
Smart added that county residents should also take more responsibility for their pets.
“It would make our jobs a lot easier if we were all able to take care of our pets and handle them accordingly, and treat them and love them like they deserve,” Smart said. “Then we wouldn’t have near as many pets at the animal shelter.
“So I ask you to do your part, take care of the animals that you have and try to find a home for them if you can’t provide one. That would make all of our lives a lot easier.”
