McDuffie County Pet Shelter cleared of most allegations

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THOMSON, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) — The Georgia Department of Agriculture and McDuffie County have completed parallel investigations into allegations related to animal services, bringing the county one step closer to reopening its animal shelter, which is closed since mid-2022.

Investigations cleared the shelter of most wrongdoing, but revealed issues with paperwork.

The shelter closed in late July due to allegations of extreme animal cruelty and paperwork issues.

County officials said Friday the Department of Agriculture found no abuse or mistreatment of shelter animals, or other evidence of animal care issues. Additionally, McDuffie County’s own internal investigation found no evidence of animal care issues.

County officials noted that there were discrepancies between McDuffie County’s internal records and the records to be submitted electronically to the Department of Agriculture regarding the admission and disposal of animals.

All hard copies of records were in place, but some had not been uploaded by former staff members into the state system.

Under a consent order county commissioners unanimously agreed to Tuesday night, the Department of Agriculture is imposing a fine of $13,000, which will be suspended for a probationary period of two years.

If the county successfully completes the trial period without any major violations, the fine will be forgiven.

Additionally, McDuffie County is committing to a minimum of $13,000 in repairs/upgrades to the animal shelter and ensuring that all future shelter employees will undergo training with the Department of Agriculture animal program. .

To lend

To be clear, the McDuffie County Department of Animal Services has failed to meet our community’s expectations, county officials said in a statement. Now is the time to fix that.

The next step for McDuffie County is the rollout of a new animal services department that will include new staff and a supervising veterinarian, officials said.

This new shelter will be a cooperative, an integral part of our community, officials said. We will prioritize local adoptions, work with an extensive and diverse list of animal shelter and rescue partners, and establish a volunteer program in an effort to ensure the facility is fully accessible to everyone.

Officials said their goal is to provide a shelter that meets the needs of our community while creating an environment where everyone feels welcome.

Officials say they also want a service that is open to criticism and feedback from locals.

Officials acknowledged that the reopening process took longer than they had hoped. Officials said they wanted to wait until investigations were completed, but also wanted to make sure they found a new manager who was suitable for the job.

As they move forward, officials say they are working to renovate the building, assess the services provided by the department and develop ways to engage residents more.

We greatly appreciate the patience of our residents throughout this process, especially those citizens who were willing to listen to all parties involved in this unfortunate situation, county officials said. We appreciate the assistance of the Georgia Department of Agriculture in reviewing our shelter and look forward to taking the next steps to provide the best care for the animals in our communities.

Internal investigation

In addition to the state’s investigation, McDuffie County officials have also reviewed the various allegations, and with the completion of the Department of Agriculture’s investigation, county officials are announcing their findings.

County officials said in a statement that one of the most troubling aspects of this investigation was the number of people who had only recently reported issues with our animal service that allegedly occurred several years ago.

Once the allegations came to the attention of authorities, an investigation was quickly launched, officials said.

Here are some of the findings of the internal investigation:

Allegation: A group of dogs that had been promised to be transferred to the northern United States via a rescue group were improperly euthanized in early June 2022.

Conclusion: The allegation of inappropriate euthanasia is false. The dogs were designated for euthanasia by the veterinarian overseeing the shelters due to an outbreak, and no irregularities were found by investigators.

Allegation: Multiple acts of animal cruelty and neglect have been committed by shelter staff over the past few years.

Conclusion: The internal investigation found no tangible indicators of abuse other than a previously documented incident that resulted in internal discipline despite a host of unsubstantiated second-hand and hearsay allegations. No video or image of incidents of abuse by the county could be found or provided to authorities. To further investigate the allegations, the county enlisted the assistance of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and reported possible violations to the Georgia Department of Agriculture. To date, no investigation has resulted in criminal charges or penalties, and the Department of Agriculture specifically stated that there were no findings of improper animal care in their consent order.

Allegation: The shelter documents were misfiled.

Finding: Based on an investigation of the records, this allegation was found to be true. These records and findings were then turned over to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the Georgia Department of Agriculture for review. While previous regular inspections of hard copies of shelter documents by a Department of Agriculture representative found no issues, the department found issues with the digital submission of documents to the department. The digital filing of records was central to the consent order: the respondent later determined that former employees had failed to properly maintain and submit records to the department during the time period at issue. Going forward, the county will adopt standard operating procedures to ensure compliance with these guidelines.

Allegation: Undeclared cash payments were made to and/or demanded by shelter employees.

Conclusion: This allegation was based on statements made both in interviews and on social media by one of the participants. During the county’s investigation, no corroborating evidence could be found. However, due to the seriousness of this allegation, the county immediately met with the McDuffie County Sheriff’s Department, the Toombs Judicial District Attorney’s Office, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and the Georgia Department of Agriculture, and subsequently submitted all relevant information. The GBI has since taken the lead on the investigation, and the county has been fully cooperative as their investigation continues. Additionally, the county is taking steps to ensure that anyone involved in such activity or anyone who condones such activity will have no role in the operation of the shelter.

Allegation: The supervising veterinarian was incorrectly billing the county for excessive costs related to the animal shelter.

Conclusion: This claim was found to be false, based on an inspection of records related to the veterinary services provided. This review showed procedures, tests, medications, euthanasia, and other treatments performed at a reduced rate for shelter animals. Going forward, a contract defining the individual cost of each procedure, test or wellness check will be in place to provide a clear system of checks and balances for this process.

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