Owen Marsten, Intern - thefranklinpressnews@gmail.com
Macon County Animal Control has been dealing with a massive increase in their shelter’s population. According to Jimmy Villiard, Macon County Population Health section administrator, the shelter population has increased 82.2% in two years. In 2020, 625 animals were taken into the shelter. In 2022, 1,139 animals were taken in and by November 2023 they passed last year’s record.
The cost of running the shelter has increased along with the population. A large increase in the number of animals means there is a greater need for food and medical services. Villiard said Animal Control’s ability to respond to calls has been reduced as well. Staff has worked overtime to meet the needs of the animals within their care and respond to calls from Macon County residents.
At the November Board of Health meeting, Villiard said although the number of intakes has increased greatly, the department is still operating with the same staffing they had in 2020. He said he appreciates the dedicated shelter volunteers. “We couldn’t survive without them.”
The Health Department had requested an additional animal control officer, but that was taken out of the approved 2023-24 county budget. Public Health Director Kathy McGaha said they will start work soon on next year’s budget and will look at what the department needs to address the increased demand.
“We really need to be requesting what we need,” McGaha said during the November Board of Health meeting.
Villiard said the increase at the shelter isn’t necessarily due to more stray animals, but rather more people surrendering their pets. He said this is not unique to Macon County. Pet owners surrender their animals for various reasons; they may move somewhere they cannot have pets or can no longer afford to take care of them.
“Many people got pets during the COVID shutdowns, and as people have returned to work, coupled with inflation and the cost to feed pets, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of animals surrendered to animal shelter,” said Villiard. “In Macon County, this issue has been compounded by the increase in the number of people that have relocated to the county during COVID, placing additional strains on the existing facility and resources.”
The holiday season is a big time of year for animal shelters. Villiard said they typically see a large increase in adoptions. Some animals are brought back to the shelter afterwards, as some people underestimate the difficulty and commitment of taking care of a pet.
Macon County Animal Control attempts to get as many animals as possible transferred to “no-kill” shelters. However, many of these shelters are also experiencing overpopulation. Some animals are sent to shelters in northeastern states, which have stricter spay and neuter laws that reduce the number of stray animals. This also reduces the number of animals in shelters, as well as euthanasia rates within shelters.
“Despite the dramatic increase in animal intakes, our staff, working with our community partners, have been able to keep our euthanasia rates low compared to state and national average for a municipal shelter,” said Villiard. “This is a direct reflection on the dedication and caring nature of our staff, volunteers and community partners. Their hard work often goes unnoticed and underappreciated, and we could not continue to provide the care needed for these animals without their support and efforts.”
There are several ways to help the shelter. They are always looking for people willing to adopt a pet into their family. For those who cannot take care of a new pet, volunteers are needed to exercise the animals and give them some extra attention. Donations of food are always needed. This food will not only go to animals within the shelter, but also to support those who cannot afford their own pet food, allowing them to keep their pets.
Call the shelter at 828-349-2106 for more information or to request pet food assistance.