Local shelter worker warns council a proposed partnership could overwhelm staff and capacity

Kelsey Pettit, representing Bridal Allies Humane Society staff during non-agenda public comment, told the council the organization is not prepared to absorb the city's full inventory of stray and unwanted pets without a city-subsidized building expansion and ongoing funding. She said adoptions are at a three-year low and the shelter had seven dogs this year in care for more than 100 days. "If the city is closing the shelter with the expectation that we'll be able to house all of Duluth's stray and unwanted pets, that is an incorrect assumption," she said.

Pettit said the shelter already cares for animals from four other municipalities (243 this year) and that capacity calculators indicate the merger would leave the organization over capacity by roughly 10 dog kennels and 45 cat kennels. She urged the council not to advance talks without a clear plan and financial commitments from the city, warning that the alternative could be dramatic operational strain or euthanasia in extreme circumstances.