Community Concerns with Shannon

Our next question comes from Michael Stout from Martin. Stout asked, “Why is there no County Humane Society or Kennels? Red fern and Karin 4 Kritters have been taking in strays for almost 20 years and both the ladies that run these are getting up in age. The volunteer and donations to these wonderful institutions is slim to none these days. Just the Karin 4 Kritters has rehomed over 4,000 dogs. Think about what our counties population of dogs would be like without the help from these local ladies and their volunteers. What happens when they are gone?”

I reached out to County Mayor Jake Bynum, and he replied, “The discussion of animal control has been a topic of conversation for several years. The Public Safety Committee and the full Commission have received some requests. The lack of county-wide animal control has been due to three significant factors.

1. Several non-profit or volunteer organizations have been sublimating the need for animal control, at least as it pertains to dogs and cats.
2. Across the State, counties facilitate animal control in several ways. There are counties where animal control is a function of the County Mayor’s office; however, this creates a number of logistical issues. The primary concern is the County Mayor does not have law enforcement authority. If an animal control officer is an employee of the County Mayor, they would not be able to investigate or charge an individual accused of animal cruelty or neglect. If the department is housed under the jurisdiction of the Sheriff, those concerns are eliminated.
3. The most consequential issue is financial consideration. In addition to the need for space, facility construction, and hiring personnel, there are the continued expenses associated with a shelter. The members of the commission who have discussed this issue in the past have expressed concern with the County taking on this financial obligation. Additionally, many associate animal shelters/control with traditional animals like dogs and cats. Animal control would encompass all reports of abandoned and abused animals, including large and small livestock, rodents, and reptiles.”

The County Commissioners can be viewed at this link: Weakley County Commission (weakleycountytn.gov) so that citizens can reach out to their district commissioner to ask questions.

I reached out to Red Fern and Karin4Kritters for comment but received no response.

We hope to be able to answer a question every week from a member of the community. Just send us your questions by Monday every week. Email questions to smerrell1@murraystate.edu, text questions to 731-819-4497, stop by the office, give us a call at 731-587-3144 and ask for Shannon or message us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. We look forward to serving the community better by answering the concerns you may have surrounding any issues in Weakley County.