Emergency situation at Chilton Co Humane Society

$60,000 BOND, AN EMERGENCY SITUATION AT THE CHILTON COUNTY HUMANE SOCIETY PROMPTED PROMPTED AN URGENT CALL FOR HELP FROM ONE OF ITS BOARD OF DIRECTORS YESTERDAY. SO LAST WEEK, THE DIRECTOR SEVERAL EMPLOYEES AND SOME OF THE BOARD MEMBERS QUIT LEAVING JUST A FEW PEOPLE TO CARE FOR THE ROUGHLY 150 DOGS AND CATS AT THAT OVERCROWDED FACILITY. WVTM 13, LISA CRANE JOINS US LIVE THERE THIS AFTERNOON. THE SITUATION TODAY, LISA, HOW’S THAT LOOKING. WELL, TODAY THE DIRECTOR IS BACK ON THE JOB. ALSO, WE SAW VOLUNTEERS AND WORKERS HERE CARING FOR THE ANIMALS AND ALSO THE COUNTY COMMISSION CHAIRMAN HAS REACHED OUT TO THE GROUP HERE AND HAS PLEDGED TO WORK WITH THEM, OFFERING SUPPORT AND SOME RELIEF. NOW, THIS IS STILL A VERY OVERCROWDED, THOUGH, AND UNDERFUNDED SHELTER, AND THAT MAKES IT DIFFICULT FOR THE ANIMAL AND THE PEOPLE HERE. IT’S NOT AN IDEAL SITUATION HERE AT THE CHILTON COUNTY HUMANE SOCIETY, CRATES WITH DOGS AND CATS STACKED ON TOP OF EACH OTHER, ANIMALS IN EVERY ROOM INSIDE AND EVEN MORE OUTSIDE. TOO MANY FOR THE ROOM HERE AT THE SHELTER AND NOT ENOUGH MONEY TO FEED AND CARE FOR THEM. IT BECAME OVERWHELMING FOR THE DIRECTOR OF SEVEN YEARS. THE OVERPOPULATION IS DEFINITELY AN ISSUE. THE NUMBER OF ANIMALS THAT NEED HOMES AND NEED HELP AND THEN NOT HAVING THE PROPER RESOURCES TO BE ABLE TO DO THE JOB MADE IT DIFFICULT. I’VE DONE EVERYTHING AND HELD THIS SHELTER TOGETHER AND I WAS BEGGING FOR HELP AND SO. AND WHY I STEPPED AWAY. THAT’S WHY SHE QUIT. LAST WEEK, SOME WORKERS AND BOARD MEMBERS FOLLOWED SUIT. THAT’S WHEN ONE OF THE REMAINING BOARD MEMBERS REACHED OUT TO THE COUNTY COMMISSION. SHE CALLED ME YESTERDAY MORNING. HER AND THE ONLY TWO MEMBERS LEFT FOR THE BOARD AND SAID, HEY, WE DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO. COMMISSIONER JIMMY HARDY CALLED FESS MEYER AND PROMISED MORE SUPPORT. A REORGANIZED BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND HOPEFULLY MORE MONEY. SHE AGREED TO COME BACK TO HER JOB AND WORK TO HELP SOLVE THE ISSUES PLAGUING THE SHELTER. I DO THIS JOB FOR THE EYES THAT LOOK AT YOU AND FOR THE ANIMALS THAT TEACH YOU LOVE THAT PEOPLE DON’T TEACH YOU, THEY ARE FORGIVING. THEY ARE. YOU SEE SOME ABUSE OF NEGLECTED DOGS AND THEY STILL TRUST. IT’S DIFFICULT, BUT THEN YOU GIVE THEM CARE REGARDLESS. NOW, TYPICALLY BE A MEMBER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS WOULD ACT AS THE TREASURER FOR THE HUMANE SOCIETY. BUT THE DIRECTOR HERE TELLS ME THAT POSITION HASN’T BEEN FILLED FOR FOUR YEARS, SO SHE’S HAD TO STEP IN AND TAKE OVER THE MONEY ASPECT OF THE SHELTER. AND SHE SAID THAT’S MADE HER JOB EVEN THAT MUCH MORE STRESSFUL. JIMMY HARDY, COMMISSIONER JIMMY HARDY SAYS HE PLANS TO MEET HERE IN ABOUT AN HOUR AND TRY TO APPOINT A NEW BOARD MEMBERS TO THE HUMANE SOCIETY BOARD OF DIRECT