CHARLTON COUNTY, Ga. — Animal advocates in Charlton County, Georgia, are speaking up about the lack of animal control in the county.
County leaders told Action News Jax it simply doesn’t have the money to fund a shelter. As a result, the burden of caring for strays or abandoned pets has fallen to animal non-profits.
“It’s a lot. I am one person,” said Mary Tofil, owner of Tofil Farm Heeler Sanctuary in Folkston.
Tofil and other non-profits are doing their best to fill a desperate need to house animals in Charlton County. She recently got her animal shelter license to house up to 40 dogs.
“The number of stray dogs is pretty high,” said Charlton County Sheriff Robert Phillips.
Sheriff Phillips says his team calls on non-profits across the county to help out.
“If it hadn’t been for volunteers around the county picking up these animals and adopting them out and taking care of them, we’d really have a mess,” said Sheriff Phillips.
“Essential services are essential,” said Charlton County Commissioner Drew Jones. “And unfortunately, things like animal control kind of become discretionary. That’s just the economic reality that can’t be ignored.”
Sheriff Phillips says in the last 12 months, they have had 216 animal-related calls.
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