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Due to increased volume, Walker County, Georgia, considering combining animal control and animal shelter

Contributed photo by R. Barbee Photography / This is one of seven dogs rescued from a junk yard and ready to be adopted, according to the Walker County Animal Shelter website. Two have already been adopted, and one is still being socalized before it's ready to be homed. There are many animals ready to be adopted at Walker County's no-kill shelter, representatives said. Contributed photo by R. Barbee Photography / This is one of seven dogs rescued from a junk yard and ready to be adopted, according to the Walker County Animal Shelter website. Two have already been adopted, and one is still being socalized before it's ready to be homed. There are many animals ready to be adopted at Walker County's no-kill shelter, representatives said.

By Andrew Wilkins March 12, 2022 6 min read

Because of an increase in animal control calls and intakes at the Walker County Animal Shelter, the county commission is considering combining the animal control department with the shelter and adding new positions.

“One of the challenges we have in Walker County with animal control is our volume is picking up,” chair Shannon Whitfield said at the county’s monthly meeting Thursday night. “We’re having more animals come into the shelter, we’re having more animal control calls and our increase in our community as far as our growth, I’m sure that’s only going to continue.”

Two weeks ago, Whitfield was authorized by the commission to conduct research on how the county’s animal services could be re-organized. The commission made no decision on the plan at Thursday’s meeting, with Whitfield saying the plan was “for review and conversation only.”

The proposed plan would have a minimum of two animal control officers on duty eight hours a day, seven days a week, and Whitfield said that would require additional staffing for animal control and the shelter.