Eaton County’s animal control center is crumbling under budget cuts — with just one officer left, a deteriorating building and dogs being dumped with nowhere to go.
Following the rejection of a Public Safety Millage earlier this summer, Eaton County animal control has seen its budget cut in half for the 25-26 fiscal year, according to County Communications director Logan Bailey.
County commissioner Nicole Christensen is organizing a fundraiser to help tackle these budget constraints.
She said the center has been reduced to only one animal control officer, who only handles emergency pickups like vicious animals. All other intake has been entirely cut, with cats not being accepted at all.
Christensen said hundreds of dogs have been abandoned in Eaton County because shelters and rescues can't keep up.
"It's only going to get worse," she said. "And it's not safe for the dogs, it's not safe for the public. It's not safe for people's livestock or their own dogs."
Neighboring Ingham, Calhoun and Shiawassee Counties are helping as much as they can, but sometimes that’s not enough, she said.
"The shelters are overflowing," Christensen said. "The rescues are overflowing. Nobody has room to take them. So the next solution to the public is: 'we're just going to dump them'."
Christensen still encourages those who come across strays to reach out to the Capital Area Humane Society and see if they can get on a waitlist for a kennel.
Many of these dogs being abandoned are microchipped, Christensen said. Abandoned dogs from several neighboring counties have found themselves in Eaton County with nowhere to go, she added.
Even though those who abandon their dogs can be charged with animal abuse, Christensen said the county prosector is understaffed and backed up with thousands of cases, many of which take precedent over these ones, leaving little consequence for those who dump their dogs in the area.
The fundraiser will be held next month and is backed by the New Hope Pet Rescue-Michigan, with the goal of funding a new animal control building.
