County seeks to improve its animal control operations

Grady County is seeking to improve its standing and insure the humane treatment of animals taken into custody and temporarily housed by the county’s Animal Control Department.

Since the resignation of longtime animal control director Shawn Mobley earlier this year and the recent hiring of Jeff Ezell as the new director, county officials have been looking at ways to improve the department’s operation.

On Tuesday night, Grady County Commission Chairman Phillip Drew reported that the county is now working with Best Friends Dog Rescue and its owner, Laurie Deese, to find adoptive homes or foster homes for animals picked up by Grady County Animal Control.

“A lot of good things are going on. Mrs. Deese is very passionate about animals,” Chairman Drew said.

According to the chairman, Grady County was ranked in the bottom percentile for humane treatment of animals nationwide by animal rights groups.

“I didn’t realize that until recently and hopefully working with her (Deese) we can pull out of that hole. I don’t want this county to be labeled like that,” Drew said.

The arrangement appears to be working. Chairman Drew says that since the beginning of the year, no animals have been euthanized.

While Deese is working with the county to find homes for these animals, Chairman Drew says the focus on cats is to spay and neuter them then release them.

In years past, the county would hold an animal three days and if it was not claimed by an owner, then the animal was euthanized. Now, Drew says the animal is kept three days and if not claimed it is turned over to Deese to seek adoption or to be put in a foster home.

Grady County administrator J.C. (Buddy) Johnson III, says that Deese is being compensated by invoice for the humane treatment of animals. “We believe in the long run we will actually be spending less for animal control than we have in the past,” Johnson said.

While Johnson said the county could spend up to $10,000 in 2021 for services provided by Deese, he said Tuesday night he doubted expenditures would reach that much by the end of the year.

“The good news is we are treating animals as they should be treated and we are doing so within our budget,” the county administrator said.

Best Friends Dog Rescue is a nonprofit, no-kill facility supported solely by private donations. Best Friends is located on 58 acres on Bold Springs Road. In addition to finding homes for animals, Best Friends is also offering a boarding service with the profits benefiting the rescue.

For more information about Deese and Best Friends Dog Rescue visit bestfriendsdogrescue.net.