Carbon County officials have released a report regarding the operation of the county dog shelter, and there is work that needs to be done to the aging facility.

On Thursday, the board of commissioners spoke about the results of the report, completed by the Lehigh County Humane Society, in conjunction with PCoRP, the county’s insurance company.

An on-site assessment occurred on April 28 at the shelter and covered the operations, care of the animals, employees and relationship between the shelter, volunteers and the community.

Commissioner Rocky Ahner said he has been working to resolve items on the report, including lighting, coverings for the dogs, window replacements and blacktopping the area in front of the shelter for easier walking.

“We’re going to try to straighten some of these things out,” he said. “We’re going to try to get some of these deficiencies out of the way.”

He thanked the volunteers and donors for all of their support of the shelter over the years and wants the county to show the donors that the money is being used to better the shelter.

Commissioner Chris Lukasevich said the reason the board asked the humane society to conduct the assessment was to “help us understand where we can do better” for as long as the county manages the facility.

Improvements

According to the report, the humane society noted that the animals at the shelter “to be in good condition and cared for. The facility is in generally good shap, but in need of several repairs and modifications. The facility is understaffed and therefore cannot provide adequate supervision of volunteers or socialization of the animals. The animal shelter has many exposures of liability for the county that should be addressed immediately.”

With regard to the facility, the society recommended constructing a handicap accessible parking space and ramp, removing the gravel and blacktopping the parking area, leveling the play yard and regraveling or planting grass, and replacing outdoor lighting figures and broken windows and screens.

In addition, the county should replace outdoor kennels and provide shaded areas for the dogs.

Inside the facility, repairs include developing a cleaning schedule, installing a fire alarm system, repairing water damage in the ceiling, hiring a pest control company and implementing a plan on maintenance requests.

With regards to staffing, the department is understaffed, the society stated. It also noted that training is not occurring and a volunteer work force should be developed to help with operations.

What’s needed

The society also recommended creating a volunteer dog walking program and utilizing the outdoor play yard more often.

Lukasevich read part of the conclusion of the report, which states, “This is a functional animal holding facility. It is not an adoption center, community outreach or medical facility. The animals are being underserved in the current environment and are at risk in certain situations.

“The shelter manager appears to be overworked and not adequately trained for his position. There are several areas of liability exposure in the volunteer program, the adoption process and the facility itself. Many of the issues that are presented here can be addressed in a relatively quick and inexpensive manner, while others will require more time and financial support.

“I believe that this facility can be a productive animal shelter that serves both the animals and the people of Carbon County if given the necessary resources and support,” the report stated.

Lukasevich said the county knows there is passion for caring for the dogs and that Tom Connors, shelter manager, is committed to the dogs.

He also noted the county has been working at trying to increase salaries and staffing to alleviate some of the problems.

“We’re committed to running the best facility we can and will continue to work with the Lehigh County Humane Society and PCoRP and of course Tom to realize some of the recommendations of the study,” Lukasevich said.

Connors echoed the county’s thoughts and was thankful for the assessment, even though he hasn’t had a chance to fully look at it yet.

“I really appreciate the fact that the group came to Carbon County to help us out, as far as the assessment,” Connors said. “I think it was good on the commissioners’ part to invite them. They were very helpful.

“Our shelter here is showing age and it needs to be invested in,” he added, noting that there are many people in the county, as well as across the state who have sent donations to help with the shelter’s operations and caring for the dogs.

He said that making much needed improvements will make the facility “better for the dogs, safer for the staff” and more inviting for the community.

The staff, which is comprised of Connors, and two part-timers, is working with a trainer to better educate themselves.

He said that the three of them do the best they can do with what is available to them. Connors, who is known as a dog whisperer for his attentive nature to the animals, goes out to pick up dogs no matter what time it is, day or night as a way to help police who receive calls about dogs being left behind, found or lost.

“We’re proud of the work we do, but we need help and welcome help,” he said. “We have some problems and we’re working them out.

“We can learn from each other.”

To view the complete report, visit the county website at www.carboncounty.com. It can be found under the Animal Shelter/K-9 under departments.