09/03/2025
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Statement from the Fayette County Humane Society
Fayette County residents and beyond — we need you.
We are not writing this to tear anyone down or to sling insults. We are writing this because silence has gotten us nowhere. We are writing this because we are exhausted, heartbroken, and frustrated to our core. We are writing this because we care too much about these animals and this community to sit back quietly while the very people who are supposed to stand with us continue to ignore us.
If you live in Fayette County, you’ve probably heard something about the shelter. You’ve seen our pleas online, you’ve heard whispers, maybe you’ve even adopted one of our animals. But the hard truth is this: the Fayette County Animal Shelter does not thrive, and the reason it does not thrive is because the Fayette County Commission refuses to support it.
In 2022, when New River Humane Society ended their contract, many wondered why. Now we understand. We see it. We feel it. We are living it. They were faced with the same impossible reality we face today — running a county shelter with zero backing from the very commission responsible for it. People whispered that New River walked away because they “couldn’t handle it.” No. They walked away because no one can handle it when your county won’t stand beside you.
Since we took over, we’ve saved thousands of lives. Thousands. We’ve taken in dogs chained to trees, cats left behind in empty houses, litters dumped on back roads, animals starving, animals beaten, animals who had no chance without us. We’ve reunited families with their missing pets. We’ve adopted out countless animals to loving homes. We’ve partnered with rescues across the state and beyond. We’ve built programs to help families in need: free food when they can’t afford it, microchips to prevent animals from going missing forever, vaccine clinics to keep pets safe and healthy. We’ve done everything possible with what little we have.
But we are doing it alone. And we are exhausted.
We have reached out to other shelters across the state. And what we’ve learned is crushing: Fayette County appears to be the only county where the commission refuses to stand behind its shelter. Other counties have commissioners who step inside their shelters, who meet with their directors, who support staff, who recognize the hard work being done. We don’t have that here. We are standing completely alone.
When a viral post in July nearly destroyed our staff, when strangers online tore apart the very people who spend their days cleaning kennels, feeding animals, and comforting the broken — did the commission step up to support us? Did they ask how our staff was doing? Did they even call? The answer is no. Silence. Nothing. To this day, not one of them has asked if we are okay.
When our pipes froze this winter, we begged for help. For three weeks, we had no water. Three weeks. Do you know what it means to clean kennels for over 100 dogs with gallon jugs? To scrub floors, wash bowls, and try to keep an overcrowded shelter sanitary without running water? Do you know the smell? The desperation? Do you know what that does to your spirit? The county’s answer: “Go refill jugs at the park.” They only cared when the media found out.
Since Fayette County Humane Society took over the shelter, only one commissioner — John Brenneman — has stepped foot inside these walls. Only one has attended meetings, answered calls, or shown his face. The others have done nothing. How can you decide for something you refuse to even look at?
Now, let’s talk about our employees. Did you know they are not county employees? That means no health insurance. No retirement. No sick time. No vacation. No maternity leave. Nothing. They come in sick, they come in injured, they come in broken, because if they don’t — the animals suffer. One woman has given 25 years to this shelter. Twenty-five years. No raise. No benefits. Nothing. How do you look her in the eye and tell her she isn’t worth it?
And yet, the county created a new position — Animal Welfare Coordinator — with a $32,000–$34,000 salary and benefits. We mean no disrespect to that person. But what a slap in the face to the people who have given decades of service, their health, their families, their sanity — all for the animals.
We are drowning. Our resources run dry as soon as we get them. We are overcrowded every single day. The phones never stop ringing. The cages never stop filling. We are watching our staff break down in tears, night after night, because they cannot do this alone anymore.
And the commission knows we are drowning. They know we cannot handle more. But do they care? Do they care that their lack of action is directly causing suffering? Do they care that animals who were once healthy are now getting sick because of choices made without thought?
And here’s what hurts the most: we don’t want to fight with our commissioners. We don’t want to be at war. We want to work with them. We want them to know us, to know our hearts, to know how deeply we love these animals and this community. We want them standing beside us when we face challenges, not turning their backs. We want them in the shelter, seeing what we see, understanding what we need.
How can you make decisions about a place you won’t even step foot into?
How can you tell us what we need when you don’t even know what we need?
How can you say you care about the animals when you’ve never even met them?
That is not leadership. That is abandonment.
We are asking — begging — for something different. Come to the shelter. See the overcrowding. Talk to the staff who give everything and get nothing. Look into the faces of the animals whose lives hang in the balance. Stop hiding from the truth. Stop making decisions in silence. Work with us. Build solutions with us. Show this county that you care about the shelter that carries your name.
If we lose this fight, it will be the animals who suffer the most. The innocent ones. The ones who had no say in how this shelter is run. The ones who look to us for food, safety, and love.
Fayette County Commission — we are begging you: come down. Look at us. Look at the animals. See the desperation with your own eyes. We want your help. We need your help. We need you to care.
And Fayette County residents — we need you too. We need you to demand better. Call your commissioners. Email them. Show up at meetings. Ask them why this shelter — your shelter — is treated like it doesn’t matter. Ask them why our employees are treated like they are disposable. Ask them why the animals of Fayette County don’t deserve the same support as animals in other counties.
We cannot survive without change. We cannot keep doing this alone.
This isn’t bashing. This is desperation. This is the breaking point. And this is the truth.
We will fight until our last breath for the animals. But if something doesn’t change, if we don’t get the support we so desperately need, this shelter — and the animals who depend on it — may not have a future.
Please. Stand with us. Fight with us. Demand better with us. Because the animals cannot ask for it themselves.
— Fayette County Humane Society
