HOPKINSVILLE, KY (CHRISTIAN COUNTY NOW) – With help from the community and the support from the Judge Executive’s Office, the Christian County Animal Shelter is hoping to provide new ways for people to neuter their pets to control the number of animals coming into the shelter.
During the Fiscal Court meeting Tuesday morning, Christian County Animal Shelter Director Melissa Goff gave a report on the status of the shelter. She told the magistrates that in the month of January, 353 animals came into the shelter, and 159 were adopted.
Magistrate Russ Guffey with District 7 asked Goff what other needs the shelter has. She said their biggest battle is regulating intake numbers by getting pet owners to spay and neuter consistently.
“Our winter numbers are what our summer numbers used to be,” Goff said during the meeting. “A lot of that is due to the excessive backyard breeding we have in the area, and the inability for people to be able to be able to afford to fix their animals.”
Goff specified it is not illegal for people to participate in backyard breeding, but there are no regulations in place. These pets often don’t get fixed, or they get passed along to the shelter. Making spay and neuter procedures more affordable and accessible will help with this problem, Goff said.
She presented other program options to the Fiscal Court that would help, including a Trap-Neuter-Release process that would allow them to neuter cats and feral cats on the streets, and release them back out. This process would allow them to save boarding costs for the cats and prevent the cats from overpopulating.
While the shelter receives grant money to help cover the costs of spaying and neutering, Goff said it isn’t enough. She believes the TNR program, along with new fundraising initiatives and increased community donations will help the shelter. County Judge Executive Jerry Gilliam said continued discussion is imperative.