The Baldwin County Animal Shelter has come under a great deal of controversy since the county’s takeover late last year.
Rumors and innuendo have circulated across our communities, and people from around the world have signed a petition demanding, among other things, the resignation of the shelter’s director.
There’s a lot of angst and grief about what’s going on at the shelter, but when you talk to some of the people who are most upset about the issue and ask them if they’ve ever visited the shelter, the reply is often “No.”
While it is not impossible to criticize something you’ve never seen or experienced personally, it should give the rest of us pause that a large number of the people who are the loudest about this issue don’t actually live here and haven’t actually been to our shelter.
That’s why we sent our reporting team there last week - to cast our eyes upon the situation ourselves and report back to you the state of what’s going on at this shelter.
And our report is such - it’s an excellent shelter being run by people who genuinely care about animals.
Staff were playing with the animals, interacting with them and showing them some much needed love and attention.
Cages were clean and non-harsh products were used to help keep those areas clean and sanitary.
Dogs were getting exercise, food and water bowls were full and animals with medical issues or needs got the help they needed.
It’s not difficult to see things posted online or on social media that are highly sensationalized and want to believe them. It’s often easy to just sign an online petition, share a post and feel like you’re doing something to help what you’ve been told is a bad situation.
Our animal shelter, and the dedicated staff who work there, deserve better than that.
What we saw was a fine operation that truly cared about the well-being of its pet population.
To imply or insinuate otherwise is counter productive and should be seen as deliberate mistruths.
And, if you don’t want to take our word for it, we encourage you to go and visit the shelter just like we did. They are always happy to welcome visitors.
The shelter is hosting an open house tomorrow, Feb. 17, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Go see things for yourself - we found it eye-opening and we’re sure you will, too.
