City Hires Animal Shelter Director

A director has been hired to operate the new animal shelter, which will open soon.
During Monday night’s meeting, the Smithville aldermen voted to employ Megan Moore, upon the recommendation of the board of directors for the DeKalb Coalition for the Humane Treatment of Animals.
Under terms of the city’s 99 year lease with the coalition, Moore will be a city employee and she will have a part time assistant, although that position has not yet been filled.
Moore has worked as a veterinary assistant at DeKalb Animal Clinic in Smithville since September, 2014. From May to September, 2014 Moore was a veterinary assistant for PAULS Spay and Neuter Clinic in McMinnville.
A 2009 graduate of DeKalb County High School, Moore earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture with a concentration in Animal Science in 2013 from Tennessee Tech in Cookeville.
In her application, Moore wrote “Through my employment at DeKalb Animal Clinic and my degree in Animal Science, I have gained the experience and confidence needed to be an asset to this business and the public”.
Finishing touches are being made to the new animal shelter and an opening will soon be announced. It is located on a four acre site near the solid waste transfer station, behind Tenneco off of Highway 70 east.
The shelter will serve as a permanent and safe location for neglected, abandoned and abused animals; to provide an alternative low-kill policy so these animals receive medical attention, reduce overpopulation, and be cared for until they can be placed in permanent homes.
The City of Smithville and DeKalb County each appropriated $75,000 for the erection of the facility. The animal coalition has paid for the rest of the costs through fundraisers, grants, etc. The new shelter will take the place of a smaller one which has been in existence for years on county property but operated by the city behind the DeKalb County Highway Department Headquarters off Smith Road.
In addition to funding the director and part time assistant position, the city will also provide an animal control vehicle.
Alderman Shawn Jacobs, during Monday night’s meeting, asked what type of vehicle will be provided saying “what we had before (an old pickup truck with a kennel in the back), I was ashamed of it. It doesn’t reflect well on the city,” he said.
City Administrator Hunter Hendrixson said the city would provide an older cargo van with a kennel in back to keep the animals out of the weather during transport.