Ed ElkinsCLEVELAND, Tenn. - The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals of Bradley County says it will seek clarification on whether its shelter must accept animals from Cleveland.
In a recent meeting, SPCA board President Ed Elkins said the nonprofit organization needs to get the Bradley County Commission to "define its geographic service area."
The SPCA operates a no-kill animal shelter under an $80,000 contract with the county. The agreement calls for it to accept animals from Bradley County residents and to provide animal pickup services if requested by county emergency responders.
However, the SPCA board recently reviewed shelter figures indicating that nearly one-third of the 841 animals it received between June 1 and Oct. 11 originated within city limits.
At the time of the meeting, the SPCA reported it was sheltering 110 animals.
Elkins, a former county commissioner, voted to approve the agreement with SPCA in December after the county ended a long-standing animal control agreement with Cleveland's municipal shelter.
Elkins said his understanding was that "the county would take care of county animals and the city would take care of city animals."
In May, then-media coordinator Beth Foster said the SPCA board's policy was to accept surrendered pets from individual residents of Bradley County.
"The SPCA of Bradley County does not accept dogs/cats from other groups, organizations or agencies unless the group, organization or agency has a negotiated contract with the SPCA of Bradley County," Foster said after the May 20 meeting.
The minutes of Foster's report during the May 20 meeting are even more specific, stating that the "city is within the county so we are taking animals from the city ... [the] SPCA is a nonprofit organization that sets its own policy and decides where it takes animals from."
The statements were intended to address the Cleveland City Council, which had signaled it might close the municipal animal shelter and simply have its animal control officers drop off strays at the private shelter operated by the SPCA.
Some SPCA board members have indicated their shelter is taking on the city's share of animals.
"We're pretty close to capacity," said board member Dan Rawls, a Bradley County commissioner. "What I find interesting is that the city is way below capacity and all of a sudden we seem to have taken a lot of their capacity."
Paul Leach is based in Cleveland. Email him at paul.leach.press@gmail.com.