Montgomery County Commissioners Court voted to rescind its contract with Care Corporation, which operates the Montgomery County Animal Shelter, during its Aug. 11 meeting.
The decision was made after hearing consistent concerns about the management of the shelter from volunteers and other stakeholders, Montgomery County Judge Craig Doyal said.
“There was the concern for the number of animals that were dying at the shelter and the number of animals that were being adopted that died because they were sick when they went out,” Doyal said. “I think they were trying to save as many animals as they could, but maybe there needed to be better recognition of the ones that needed to be put down.”
While the court has also heard from supporters of Care Corp., Doyal said it was time to move on from the organization.
“I just think that there has been some bad things that have been created that will be very difficult to overcome at this point,” Doyal said. “The relationship with some of the foster groups and the adoption groups has been strained, and it takes all of those partnerships to make the shelter work.”
The process to terminate the contract will take about 30 days to complete, Doyal said, and the county plans to consult with veterinarians and experts from other shelters to determine how to run the shelter moving forward.
Veterinarians Aubrey Ross and Diarra Blue own Care Corp.. Doyal said they have been operating the shelter since January after purchasing the company from founder Tim Holifield, former Montgomery County Precinct 3 constable. Care Corp. representatives declined to comment on this story.