- The humane society faces a 40 percent reduction in yearly budget after split from the county.
- Thomas County Sheriff's Office is working to build an animal shelter.
- Watch the video above to find out when the new shelter will be built.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
"Where do we start? You all went through a major change at the top of the year. Can you tell me a little about it?
"Absolutely, so 2023 has been an adventure for us," said Chandler Giddes, Executive Director, Thomasville Humane.
Adventurous, indeed. Back in January, we told you how the Humane Society and Thomas County parted ways after having a contract in place for 29 years.
That split left Thomas County's Sheriff's Office in charge of animal control. It also left the Humane Society to fill nearly 40 percent of their budget forcing them to make some hard choices.
"We've downsized. We've cut our staff in half. We've cut our operation hours in half," said Giddes.
Despite that, they are still offering animal resources such as help with adoption, placement, and medical assistance and have helped over 600 animals get adopted this year.
"Taking over the services on January 1st was something different. It was grounds we had never been on before," said Captain Chuck McDonald, Animal Services.
That's Captain Chuck McDonald; he's over animal services at the Thomas County Sheriff's Office. Since the transition, he says they've hired 3 new staff members for animal services.
Soon they will begin construction on their new animal shelter which will be located here on Joiner Road.
So, what does that mean for you in the meantime?
"A lot of the animals now that are just stray animals, we're not able to pick them all up because we just don't have a place for them," said McDonald.
McDonald asks that the community stay patient while they get up and running and fully staffed.
As for the Humane Society they're asking the public for help.
"Moving forward we have to sustain. We know that our work is noble, we know that it's necessary, and we know that we have people in need in our community," said Giddes.
The TCSO new shelter will break ground at the top of the year.
Upcoming events for the Humane Society:
- Annual Clip and Sip at Jonina Farm this Saturday from 10am to 3pm.
- Tails and Trails at Pebble Hill January 20th 10am to 4pm.
- Clays for Strays at Flint River Skeet and Trap March 30th.
