Clarksville, TN – Montgomery County Animal Control has a new Director and she’s a breath of fresh air. Karen Josephson comes to us by way of the Cheatham County Animal Control where she took that department from being one of the top “kill” centers in the state, to a department that had an 80% rescue/survival rate.
She hopes to make Montgomery County as good if not better. “Education is the key” stated Josephson. “The community has to understand that they have to take responsibility for their animals. The animals depend on them to do the right thing. A pet has no-one to depend on except its owner. I’m disturbed by how some people treat their animals.” said Josephson.
The Montgomery County Animal Control Department has been a sore spot for years under the previous leadership. It had one of the highest euthanasia rates in the state, and a real public relations problem. You couldn’t get to the director, morale was horrible, and the response time was endless. Former director David Selby was fired, and Josephson was hired.
County Commissioner Charles Keen, who chairs the animal control committee said, “She’s doing a tremendous job.” “Everybody loves her.” Commissioner Tommy Vallejos said, “She’s awesome.” Montgomery County Mayor Carolyn Bowers told me, “We knew we had the right person for the job when we hired Karen.”
Karen has a passion for doing the right thing. She loves animals, but more importantly, she loves people. She told me she hoped she could turn the department around and to take a different attitude when dealing with the public. “I want my staff to understand my philosophy and find ways to rescue, and treat their job with respect.” Josephson also hopes to bridge her department with local agencies like the Humane Society and others who seek to help discarded and abused animals. It’s a tough job.
With the growth in our community, and the impact of Fort Campbell, the animal population is growing out of control. Everywhere you go you see stray cats. Dogs go unattended. Somethings got to give. Another problem we’ve had is animal lovers are very passionate, and they expect somebody to do something “right now”. Personalities are strong among animal lovers, and they have big hearts, but in the past, there’s been little co-operation between the agencies. Seems as though there’s been “turf wars” among all the groups and when push comes to shove, the problem always ends up at Animal Control.
The key to success is volunteers. “We could use volunteers who would like to walk the dogs, help clean the shelter, and “friend” the animals who have been abused”, said Josephson. “I can’t pay staff to walk the animals, when they should be in the field helping the public.” Before Josephson arrived, the center wasn’t “volunteer friendly”. Josephson hopes to change all that. “We would love any contribution the public would like to make to help us.”
To view more pets that are currently up for adoption, visit the Montgomery County Animal Control page on Petfinder.
If you would like to make a donation, or volunteer your time, call the Animal Control Department at 931.648.5750. Visit their location at 616 North Spring Street. This is a great opportunity for all of us to make a difference. I hope you will make the most of it. Karen Josephson is a winner.
Map
616 N Spring St
Clarksville, TN 37040
(931) 648-5750
mcgtn.org/animal-control/