Gibson County shelter reports severe overcrowding and staff burnout as new building readied

The Gibson County animal shelter told commissioners it is over capacity and staff are burning out as leaders prepare to move animals into a new shelter building in May.

"We have 16 kennels. We have 44 dogs… and we have 75 cats out at that little tiny building," said Sharon, the shelter representative, reporting the shelter’s current population. She said nine cats are in foster care and a mama cat with five kittens is being housed by Dr. Stewart. Sharon said the new shelter’s medical room and other upgrades have delayed the move but will enable low-cost spay/neuter clinics.

The shelter official emphasized staffing pressures: "We had eight [employees]… then nine… and now we're down to six," Sharon said, adding one employee recorded about "120 hours in two weeks." She said employees are working long stretches without days off, which has reduced the capacity to provide routine care beyond cleaning, feeding and basic medication.

Why it matters: Commissioners noted the operational risk from high animal populations and low staffing levels, and the county is pursuing fundraising and programming—such as a Trap-Neuter-Return effort organized by a local artist—to increase clinic capacity once the new facility opens. Sharon described a raffle and community events to raise funds for future spay/neuter clinics.

Commissioners and shelter staff discussed short-term mitigation, including increased adoption outreach and volunteer recruitment. No formal policy action or funding appropriation was made at the meeting; the updates were informational.

The next steps reported were continued fundraising, preparations for the May move into the new building and monitoring staffing needs; commissioners did not schedule a specific follow-up vote at this meeting.