AKRON, Ohio — There are renewed calls for change at Summit County Animal Control. Members of the public are gathering signatures to get an ordinance on the November ballot. If approved, it would change the way animal control operates.
Cathy Soles is leading the charge and is one of the faces behind the group Saving Summit Strays. She said she is passionate about animals, especially dogs, which is why she began volunteering at Summit County Animal Control in 2018.
“Knowing there are animals out there that people just dump and there's nowhere for them and they already have had a rough life and when they have to be in the pound I want to try to make their life better,” she said.
She said the group of consistent volunteers enriched the animals' lives.
“There was such a presence with the volunteers inside,” said Soles. “They were there eight hours a day with these dogs. They got to go on hikes, they got bathed, they went on runs and took them off the property for field trips.”
But she said all of that changed in 2020. When COVID-19 shut down the world, Summit County Animal Control shut its doors to the public too, and when restrictions started loosening up elsewhere, Summit County Animal Control continued with its pandemic policies.
“It just breaks my heart what is going on,” said Soles. “I’m not sure why they don’t want transparency when you’re dealing with live beings. You’ve got dogs and cats in there, and you don’t know what’s going on with them.”
For the past three years, public access has been limited for people adopting and volunteers.
The animals' photos are plastered on the front windows of the facility. People can essentially window-shop, make an appointment and employees will bring the dogs they’d like to see out, one-by-one.
“They’re saying the dogs will bark and get upset, but that’s actually the dogs getting human contact. The public doesn’t get the opportunity to pick the dog or let the dog pick them. They have to pick from a picture on the window or the website,” said Soles.
Greta Johnson, the Assistant Chief of Staff to the Summit County Executive, said the post-pandemic policies are what work best for the animals.
“We found that the animals were much more calm when the only humans they saw were our staff,” said Johnson. “Now our staff will bring out unlimited dogs to families who are looking to adopt, but we just don't have folks walking back into the kennel.”
Volunteers are required to take a 40-hour training course and sign up for time slots. Johnson said the pandemic gave them the time to sit down and assess their volunteer program. She added a training course for animal volunteers is typically required at other facilities and the sign-up times are to keep balance during the week.
“We were really the only animal facility that didn't have training and education and sign-up times for volunteers. We want to make sure that our volunteers are educated in how to handle and care for animals, make sure that we understand if they have any restrictions, that we can accommodate those. Prior to the pandemic, volunteers really had sort of unfettered access, so there might be a day where 15 people showed up at the same time and only two the next day," said Johnson.
Up until April, volunteers and public access was from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. during the week.
“That made it where no one could get inside because most people work,” said Soles.
Summit County Animal Control has since changed weekly hours from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. during the week.
Soles said after years of raising concerns regarding the animals’ well-being and the operation, they’re taking legal action. Save Summit Strays is gathering signatures for a ballot initiative that would make some changes to Summit County Animal Control, like public access, and adding a yearly, independent oversight investigation into the facility’s operations.
Soles and others in the group are going to various city meetings and gatherings throughout the areas of Summit County to gather the 20,000 signatures they need to get it on the November ballot. The signatures have to come from registered voters and they have to sign in person.
She said they have about 10% of the signatures needed and are hopeful they’ll get the rest by June.
“Our tax dollars pay for these dogs. We want the dogs in Summit County to be treated humanely, and humanely, in our opinion, is allowing them to have contact with the public, to get enrichment from the volunteers, to have some freedom to go for walks and to know that every dog gets out every day,” said Soles.
Johnson said Summit County Animal Control has 12 employees who work hard to take care of the animals.
“What we've learned over the last three years has made the animal control facility better than it's ever been before. I understand that there are volunteers who are unhappy with the changes that we've made, but we've seen a decrease in returns, meaning that people who are adopting animals are keeping those animals because our staff is able to focus on each family that comes in and that's the goal,” said Johnson.
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