Tri-County Animal Shelter’s new part-time coordinator, Janet Brummett, presented Clinton Fiscal Court members a letter detailing work being done to improve the shelter. The letter, dated September 10, reads as follows:

“Many of you already know who I am. For those of you who don’t, I just want you to know that my life’s work experiences have been in many fields, all of which are centered around working with people and organizations in the areas of management, service, sales, seminars, teaching, and even federal regulations. The latter of which was a business owner of 26 years in DOT regulations and Drug and Alcohol Testing.

I have also been an animal lover and always owned animals. Even with loving them so much, I certainly never originally intended to go back to working a full time job at this pointing my life, HOWEVER, this is a field that once one gets involved, your heart gets captured and it becomes nearly impossible to walk away from as those wagging tails, big doggie grins, and puppy licks. That’s what you look forward to and then, of course, you have the scared, timid, and sad one’s eyes that haunt you as only they know what kind of life they came from before ending up in an unfamiliar place, through no fault of their own. They don’t know it…but they ALL are the reason a person like me can get drawn in. To find them forever, loving homes and give them the life and loving family they deserve.

First off, about three months ago, when our county got somewhat of an awakening through some negative publicity. Since nobody took on the position of coordinator, I volunteered to do what I could to gather information, help where I could, see where improvements could be made, and be a buffer between the inquisitive and negative calls coming in to the shelter, the volunteers, transporters, rescuers, and the county administration.

During that time, I acquired an extensive list of areas that could be improved upon and at the same time found that much of what was published was just not accurate. So I began putting together programs to help the shelter and the animals. It was during that first month I became acquainted with Florina, from Georgia. We now call her our Georgia Angel, for she, her clients and through fundraisers at her spa has donated hundreds of dollars worth of products and supplies for the shelter and the animals and delivered them herself last Friday in a large rented van. She plans to continue to be a supporter of needs for the shelter and the animals in the future.

I have also acquired approximately five or six pages of information on the procedures, suppliers, costs, fees, and everything needed to open and operate a Spay and Neutering Clinic two days every month which would GREATLY BENEFIT our county and it’s residents. Not only for the shelter, the people in Clinton County, but also the surrounding counties as there are none in our immediate surrounding communities. All of course at a very small fraction of the cost of having this done at a veterinarian hospital. $20 for cats, $25 for dogs. To acquire this information, I have had hours of conversations and meetings with numerous people who can help and advise in this area as well as that of a proper adoption program and other areas of shelter operation where the county can possibly, in the future, have a self-supporting shelter instead of an added county expense.

At this point, you could walk through the shelter and now see that it not only does not have a bad odor, it actually has a pleasant smell. The ceilings, walls, dog kennels, and cat rooms are neat, clean, have new beds, and everything throughout the shelter has been sanitized with a new chemical donated to the shelter that kills all the viruses from animals including the worst of them all, the Parvo virus. James (Stonecipher) and Seth (Stonecipher) have been instrumental and strategic in the processes needed to keep those viruses at bay. As we cannot control what procedures take place in the other two counties bringing in animals, we can control what we do in our shelter to assure the animals don’t get sick. I have also installed step-in sanitation pans at each entrance to help control those viruses.

One of our most important areas that I have been working on is the coordination of the people involved with rescue. Getting them the pictures and information needed to rescue out and eventually adopt those animals I mentioned in the beginning that are in such desperate need of finding loving homes. That’s in itself time consuming and frustrating as everything needs to be organized and timed within minutes between many transporters so as to get these animals to rescuers, fosters, and adoptive homes in so many other states. Some of which are as far away as Maryland in New England.

So far, it has been almost a month since we’ve had to euthanize a dog. And if we get swamped, the people involved with rescue jump in right on that band wagon and work with me to find homes for them. In the last month we’ve saved somewhere in the vicinity of 50 animals. Probably more.

In closing, I just want you to know I’m involved and committed to this venture and to not only helping the shelter and the animals but all the people of Clinton County. I also feel that since I have already put in so many hours of gathering what’s needed to accomplish these goals, have become acquainted with the people who see these animals through, the people who can advise on our impending projects, and I do believe I have the ability to see them through, that I am the most logical choice to be officially appointed the Tri-County Animal Shelter coordinator, and I would love to continue the work I’ve been involved with for the last three months and to be a part of making our county shelter a place we would be proud to show to the world.”