Candidates for Overton County Executive have pledged to form a new animal welfare committee to address the local overpopulation crisis.
Friends of Overton County Animals Administrator Michelle Lee said the proposed committee would include the county executive, county commissioners, and representatives from local animal rescues. Lee said the group intends to request an ex-officio member from the commission to serve to facilitate direct communication with local government.
“They understand that we have such an overpopulation here in Overton County and such a crisis that we need something done,” Lee said. “But like there’s never been anyone step up to to help work with the county commissioners and to form a new committee so that we could get state and federal grants, get the commissions’ help to do that and have like community large fundraisers to bring in some money.”
Lee said candidates Ben Danner, Austin Dodson, and Randall Stockton have all committed to the initiative. Lee said the committee would focus on securing grants and organizing large-scale community fundraisers to fund portable veterinary services.
“Once we get going and I think we’re going to be able to decrease the population by a lot, especially like of the unwanted feral animals and then people also who just can’t afford to get their animals fixed,” Lee said. “And then that leads to people that’s actually dumping, you know, litters of puppies off and stuff where they can’t afford to feed them.”
Lee said the lack of a county shelter has placed a significant burden on private rescues like Treasured Souls and Ripples’ Rescue.
At the last county commission meeting, Treasured Souls organizer Maureen Schafer said her organization has to turn away thousands of animals every year. Schafer said she was heartbroken, as she had just to put a dog down right before the meeting.
Schafer said she is currently caring for 94 dogs and several cats at a single location.
“With the government’s help directly with the commissioners and the county executive, see they can help on getting grants to Overton County for us that would pay actually for bringing in like spay portable spay-neuter clinic and then the money that we raise,” Lee said. “But we wouldn’t really get nowhere without without our local government.”
Lee said the group is already collaborating with Livingston Police Chief Ray Smith and Livingston Mayor Lori Burnett to plan adoption events. Lee said the goal is to bring the city and county together for events that support both animal welfare and small business owners in Livingston.