Dog custody duties will fall to Ashland County Sheriff's Office, commissioners announce

ASHLAND — Dog custody duties in Ashland County may soon fall permanently to the sheriff's office, county commissioners announced.

The Ashland County Sheriff's Office responded to vicious dog calls in the absence of a full-time dog warden. Joe Eggerton resigned from this position on May 23.

Ashland County Commissioner Denny Bittle said he anticipates a July 1 start date for a dog warden to be employed by the sheriff's office.

“Nothing is written yet,” he said. “But it will be a full-time officer dedicated to dogs.”

Bittle said the officer's two main responsibilities would be to “take care of” permits and stray dogs.

The Board of Commissioners will still maintain operations of the shelter and Deputy Clerk of Commissioners Sherri Maneese will handle the administrative duties that Eggerton previously handled.

Commissioner Jim Justice said the new position will also include responsibilities related to handling larger animals within the Humane Society of Ashland County.

Commissioner Mike Welch said other counties operate the same way. He cited Wyandot and Stark counties, which have established memorandums of understanding between the sheriff's office and the board of commissioners.

The announcement comes weeks after commissioners injected $130,251 into the dog shelter to keep the shelter's doors open. The shortfall was linked to higher utility bills, the non-renewal of 943 dog driving licenses and higher salaries, a survey found.

A few days after the financial transfer, the shelter's dog guardian, Eggerton, resigned. Public records reveal that commissioners alleged Eggerton violated four shelter rules, while Eggerton felt his bosses micromanaged the facility and his work.

Changes in euthanasia policy?

Meanwhile, the newly formed dog shelter advisory committee held a meeting June 3 to discuss amendments to a controversial policy manual that commissioners ratified without public input in January.

The 29-page document, titled Ashland County Dog Shelter Rules and Regulations, contains policies intended to guide the dog shelter's operations. One of the rules, however, has sparked public outcry because it requires dogs to be euthanized when they have been housed at the shelter for more than a year.

The advisory committee has met three times since April to suggest specific changes to the regulations. The advisory committee finalized its suggestions at the June 3 meeting, but Bittle was absent. So the group decided to present its suggestions at Thursday's commissioners' meeting.

Veronica Negrey, an advisory committee member and longtime shelter volunteer, outlined the group's suggested changes, including removing the clause “dogs who have been at the shelter for more than a year will be euthanized.”

Other changes included requiring owners to show proof of ownership when picking up a stray animal, when the shelter would administer deworming medications and what medications the shelter would use in certain circumstances.

Negrey said the committee also discussed items on a shelter's wish list, such as a play area for stray animals, video surveillance and a few cages used when transporting a stray animal to the refuge. These items were purchased, but requests were made to the shelter's fundraising arm, Homeward Bound.

Commissioners did not vote on the changes suggested by the committee. Bittle said he, Justice and Welch would review the changes and vote at another time.

“For the love of God, call”

The exchange between commissioners and dog shelter advocates lasted about 40 minutes Thursday. At one point during this portion of the meeting, Bittle said he was disappointed in the public for their reaction to how things were handled at the dog shelter.

“If you have any questions or concerns, for the love of God, call. Call the dog shelter, call Trisha (the shelter manager)… don't use Facebook. Use a phone, come talk,” he said, adding that this negativity has worried major donors.

“We didn't do everything perfectly, did we?” We admit it. There are a lot of things we could do better,” Justice said.

But the court encouraged those upset to first give them the benefit of the doubt.

“We have a big investment,” he said. “This has been a major project. We've been to the well as much as we can, the well is dry…so before you get really angry and all that, just give us the benefit of the doubt and let's try to make things right.

Other topics of discussion at Thursday's meeting, as it relates to the dog shelter, included:

• heat at the shelter (staff is working on obtaining 12 oscillating fans)
• Bittle said a generator for the facility will have to be donated. He said it would cost between $50,000 and $60,000.
• Tiffany Myer, a real estate broker, was asked by commissioners to find a tenant for space in front of the new dog shelter. The space is unfinished.

To watch the discussion in full, click the link below. The discussion begins at 11:35 p.m. and lasts until the end of the video.

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