Shelter official goes (back) to the dogs
May 1, 2008
Athens County has a manager for its dog shelter once again, while the city of Athens is looking at what it can do legally to force the county dog warden to respond to calls about dogs in the city.
Last week, Sherry Armstrong, kennel keeper/manager at the dog shelter, quit over a continuing dispute with the Friends of the Athens County Dog Shelter. She said at the time that she could not work with the Friends organization, and said the Athens County Commissioners did not back her up enough in the dispute.
On Tuesday, Armstrong rescinded her resignation and went back to work.
Commissioner Mark Sullivan said that he is pleased Armstrong decided to come back and hopes she can work with the Friends group.
“She has done a good job,” Sullivan said. “So has the Friends of the Shelter.”
One dispute between Armstrong and the Friends group was over an advertisement for dogs that used to run Fridays in the Athens Messenger. Sullivan said he hopes that Armstrong can work with the Friends group on the ads and other issues.
While the commissioners are dealing with this dispute, they have their own dispute with the city of Athens over whether the county dog warden will answer calls in the city.
The city of Athens used to contract with the county for a part -time city dog warden, but when Lana Planisek retired from the position, the city eliminated the contract agreement. After the contract ran out, the county stopped answering the dog calls in Athens or Nelsonville.
The commissioners have argued that cities such as Athens and Nelsonville have police departments that can answer dog calls. The dog warden will patrol in Athens and Nelsonville but will not answer calls, the commissioners have stated.
Officials from both cities have countered that their police departments are not equipped or trained to handle or transport dogs, so there is little they can do to respond to calls about dogs running at large.
At Monday’s City Council meeting, Mayor Paul Wiehl said he will discuss the issue with Law Director Pat Lang to see if the city has legal options to make the county respond to dog calls in Athens.
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