Puppies at the Athens County Dog Shelter are facing adverse conditions in their kennels, so the Athens County Commissioners approved a request to create standard operating procedures.
Volunteers and employees from the Athens County Dog Shelter presented the commissioners with the request at Wednesday’s commissioners meeting.
Pauline Giannaras, a former transport driver for the Friends of the Shelter Dogs, said the current procedure for cleaning puppy kennels could lead to the dogs getting sick.
“I have been addressing this issue for years with no avail,” Giannaras said, explaining why she chose to speak to the commissioners.
Currently, the shelter’s kennels are cleaned each morning using water. The litters of puppies in each kennel are removed and allowed to roam in the surrounding aisles until the kennel is sanitized.
Sarah Filipiak, owner of Best Pets Dog Training, said that putting puppies on wet floors could jeopardize their health.
“A damp kennel still has bacteria,” she said. “It hasn’t been disinfected until it’s completely dry.”
Athens County Dog Warden Jeff Koons said that the floors couldn’t be completely dry because there is a drainage issue, which disables kennel workers from using towels or blankets for a sufficient period of time.
“I cannot guarantee that the puppies will not be wet because the floor’s wet,” Koons said. “Volunteers bathe (the dogs), so we do put towels or blankets in (the kennels).”
Athens County Commissioner Charlie Adkins said he visited the shelter recently and did not witness the conditions that Giannaras referenced.
“I’m still very concerned and I don’t want that to happen,” Adkins said.
Koons and Giannaras agreed with the commissioners’ approval to write standard operating procedures. Giannaras’ main goal was to keep floors dry or dry them quickly.
“The kennels cannot be wet at all,” Giannaras said. “The puppies cannot be wet at all.”
Commissioner Lenny Eliason said that Koons and Gianarras will report the progress toward completing final standard operating procedures in November.
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