081921
Animal Services
Advisory
Board Meeting
6:00 p.m., August 19, 2021
The Randolph County Animal Services Advisory Board met in regular session on May 20, 2021, at 6:00
p.m. in the Randolph County Office Building Meeting Room A, 725 McDowell Road, Asheboro, NC. J.R.
Beard, Lisa Sparks, and Commissioner David Allen were in attendance. Cynthia Grantham, Lou Wilson,
April Wilburn, Sgt. Lawrence Albright, Commissioner Darrell Frye, and Jason Balder were absent. Also
present were Ex-Officio member County Manager Hal Johnson, Clerk to the Board Sarah Pack, Animal
Services Manager Heather Wood, and Animal Control Manager Jonathan Moody. Other members of
Animal Services were present as well. The Veterinarian seat and one animal rescue/volunteer community
seat are vacant at this time.
Call to Order and Opening Comments
Commissioner Allen called the meeting to order and welcomed the Board members. Because a quorum
was not present, the minutes of the previous meeting were not voted on.
County Manager Hal Johnson said there were three new Animal Control officers present. He is very
proud of the Animal Services staff for their hard work in improving the department. There are great things
happening in Randolph County when it comes to animal welfare and services. He commended Animal
Adoption Coordinator Heather Stewart for her work on social media in improving outreach with the
community. Animal Services has come a long way in the last couple years.
Departmental Updates
Heather Wood, Animal Services Manager, handed out a packet to Board members. There was recently
a ribbon cutting for a dog park in Archdale. The event went very well and two of the dogs who attended
were adopted. A supply drive was held as well.
Several staff members attended a PetSmart adoption event and adopted out one pet.
The quarantine facilities are still under construction but all is moving along smoothly. Ms. Wood
showed several pictures of the progress.
Mr. Johnson said the quarantine kennels will have a big impact.
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Commissioner Allen asked if the kennels will need to be inspected. Ms. Wood answered yes.
WildFlower Counseling has partnered with Animal Services to provide therapy services to staff. Often
times, staff are subjected to difficult situations.
Ms. Sparks said compassion fatigue is a serious issue and she is pleased that therapy and counseling
services will be available to staff. She asked if staff recruitment and retention has been affected by the
pandemic. Ms. Wood said at this time, Animal Services is fully staffed.
Commissioner Allen asked what the operation status of the Shelter is. Ms. Wood said that opening on
st
September 1 will allow enough time for new staff to be trained and for staff to prepare for visits by the
public.
Mr. Johnson asked if the Shelter was operating by appointment only. Ms. Wood said yes, but if
someone shows up unexpectedly they will work them in.
Ms. Sparks asked if there was a plan for protecting staff from the pandemic at the Shelter. Ms. Wood
said that all staff must wear a mask while indoors if social distancing is not possible.
Mr. Johnson asked what would happen with the animals if there is an outbreak at the Shelter. Ms.
Wood said vaccinated staff would not have to be quarantined and continue to care for animals if they are
not showing symptoms.
J.R. Beard suggested the next Board meeting be held at the Shelter. The Town of Liberty has not
updated their animal control ordinances and there has been issues. Updates will be occurring soon and
there will be a public hearing. He thanked Animal Services staff for their hard work.
Jonathan Moody, Animal Control Manager, introduced Johnathan Gaultney, William Scott Chappell,
Donna Zogopoulos, who are all new Animal Control Officers.
Mr. Moody has been working to update the animal control ordinances. There have been some issues
with the dangerous dog process and it was determined that the County Manager would have the ultimate
authority in deeming a dog dangerous. Mr. Moody is working with County Attorney Aimee Scotton to
finalize the ordinances. There is a tethering ordinance in the county and Mr. Moody added a section
regarding proper tethering in order to make the ordinance more enforceable.
Commissioner Allen asked if the ordinances would come before the Commissioners for approval and
Mr. Moody said yes. Commissioner Allen asked if Public Health will still handle rabies and Mr. Moody said
yes. Mr. Johnson said statute requires the Health Director be in charge of rabies.
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Mr. Moody said there was recently a situation with several loose dogs who have been at large since
2017. These dogs have now been deemed dangerous. The puppies of one of these dogs have severe
mange. Traps have been set but have not been successful. Mr. Moody reached out to Lee County Sheriff’s
Office and Jared Byrd from Emergency Services for help in catching the dogs. The Lee County officers are
certified to use tranquilizer guns. Mr. Byrd flew a drone but could not locate the dogs. The drone spotted
a deceased dog which led Animal Control staff to seizing other animals on the property.
Mr. Beard asked if anyone was feeding the loose dogs. Mr. Moody said many houses in the
neighborhood are feeding the dogs. Mr. Beard asked if the people feeding the dogs could be fined. Mr.
Moody said it’s a difficult situation because people are feeding the dogs out of the goodness of their
hearts.
Ms. Sparks asked if a stray is fed by someone a certain number of days, does the animal become their
property. Mr. Moody said yes but it’s very difficult to enforce. Ms. Sparks said her organization receives
calls about these dogs. Ms. Sparks asked about the process when a citizen finds a stray animal and if those
rules can be added to the ordinances. Mr. Moody explained the protocols for finding a stray and said he
will investigate the process to add this information to the ordinance.
Mr. Johnson asked when the draft copy of the ordinance would be ready. Mr. Moody said he has a
draft copy but is working on final edits. He is working with Ms. Scotton on final adjustments.
Mr. Moody has been working closely with law enforcement. The lines of communication are open.
There has been an increase in animal cruelty cases.
Mr. Beard credited the increase in cases to the outstanding job done by Animal Control staff.
Mr. Moody is working to make more contacts in the Sheriff’s Office. There is a national training
program he would like for Animal Control staff to complete. He is working on budgeting in order to add
a training line item. The training costs $800 per person. There have been changes to the schedule for
Animal Control Officers; they are spending more time in the county and less time at the Shelter. They are
no longer responsible for cleaning the Shelter. There are four zones and four officers in the county.
Response time had been a large issue; now, Officers stay in their zones to reduce response times.
Mr. Johnson said Mr. Moody and Ms. Wood met with officials across the county in order to work on
positive changes in the department. Mr. Moody said he would like to meet with these officials again to
make sure the changes have been positive.
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Call volume is up by 225 calls. This can be attributed to visibility with the new trucks with logos. Officers
are out in the county and citizens can see them. Trust has also been built and citizens are more willing to
work with the department.
Mr. Beard asked if this information was being posted to Facebook. Mr. Moody said no. He does not
want negative discourse on the Animal Services page like it might be on the Sheriff’s Office page.
Mr. Johnson said the visibility of the Animal Control officers in the county is a positive reflection on the
county.
Mr. Beard said the changes in the department have been monumental and the staff have done a
fantastic job. He agrees that training is an important aspect.
Ms. Sparks asked if there will still be an appeal board for dangerous dogs. Mr. Moody said yes and this
process is being reviewed.
Public Comment Period
Pursuant to N.C.G.S. § 153A-52.1, Commissioner Allen opened the floor for public comment and closed
it after no one wished to speak.
Commissioner Allen said the lack of public comment is a testament to a job well done.
Adjournment
Commissioner Allen thanked the Board for their attendance. With no further business, Commissioner
Allen adjourned the meeting at 6:45 p.m.
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