Animal shelter creates Forsyth divide

By Jeffry Scott

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Of all the growing pains Forsyth County has endured in recent years -- battles over development, anger over road construction, disgruntlement over school redistricting --  nothing has rained controversy on this community like cats and dogs.

For a year and a half a debate has raged over what to do with abandoned and stray animals that might be euthanized if homes aren't found for them. A temporary solution appeared to be reached last week when the Forsyth County Commission extended its $480,000 annual contract with the private shelter that has been the county’s sole animal facility for three decades.

Far from defusing the debate, the contract extension created another uproar, dividing the community and the County Commission, and again delaying a permanent solution, which might be county spending as much as $2.5 million to build its own shelter.

On Tuesday, tempers flared when Commissioner Patrick Bell accused outgoing Commissioner Jim Harrell of purposely delaying progress in solving the animal shelter problem and trying at the end of his term to rush through a new shelter proposal.

The person who claims to have gotten the worst of it is Dr. Lanier Orr. He owns and runs the shelter with wife, Annette. Orr, 65, grew up in Forsyth on land where his shelter is built, on Old Atlanta Road, and has been practicing veterinary medicine since he graduated from the University of Georgia in 1969.

“I’ve been getting crucified,” he said. “It burns me up when I hear people saying we're getting rich on this contract, when the truth is we ain’t done nothing but lose money. People say we don’t take care of the animals and the cages are too small. That’s simply not true.

"We’ve been inspected by the state agriculture department and gotten nothing but good grades every time they come out here.”

The loudest critic of the shelter and the commission's inaction is Betty Delman. She worked for five months at the shelter, and, after leaving it, began a public campaign to hold the shelter more accountable or have a new one built by the county.

She's written letters to the editor of local newspapers and spoken before the commission, claiming that the fate of 23 percent of the shelter's animals is unknown, the shelter is getting paid excessively on the contract, and the shelter won't let rescue groups adopt the animals.

“I live about a mile from the shelter and every time I drive by it, it just breaks my heart,” she said.

Dr. Orr said none of Delman's allegations are true and produced a document that he said accounted for all 2,701 animals that have been been taken in by the shelter this year: 644 adopted, 153 died at shelter (most newborns), five escaped (from animal control when the animals were dropped off), 165 rescued, 296 returned to owners and 1,438 euthanized.

Putting an animal down is worst part of his job, said Dr. Orr, but it's also a matter of pragmatics. "What happens if they're not adopted?" he asked. "The county, taxpayers, don't want to pay us to keep these animals forever. Some taxpayers don't even like dogs."

Harrell prevailed in his argument with Bell. The commission voted 3-2 to put a proposal on the news business calendar at the next commission meeting, which might lead to the county asking for bids to build a shelter or to manage one built by the county.

"The whole matter is money," said Bell, who added it's not the government's job to build and run an animal shelter.

Lisa Leonard, president of the Humane Society of Forsyth County, has put in a bid to manage any new facility and make it a no-kill shelter.

The new shelter contract allows either party to cancel it with 60 days notice, which Orr said might be the ultimate solution.

"I'll give it up tomorrow if the county wants it," said Dr. Orr. "It's gotten too big for us. It needs to be taken over by the county."

Area shelters

Fulton

Shelter: 1

Capacity: 300 animals

Budget: $2.1 million

DeKalb

Shelters: 1

Capacity: 360 animals

Budget: $3.1 million.

Gwinnett

Shelters: 1

Capacity: 302 animals

Budget: $2.3 million

Cobb

Shelters: 1

Capacity: 592 animals

Budget: $2.6 million.