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ELKINS -- Randolph County Humane Society volunteers say they disagree with County Commissioner Cris Siler's opinion that a county owned animal shelter is needed in Randolph County.
A Randolph County Commission social media post last week about exploring the possibility of creating a county owned shelter prompted dozens of comments, most urging the commission to continue to provide funding to the Randolph County Humane Society, a private non-profit that began in 1958.
On Tuesday, The Inter-Mountain published interview comments from Siler, who said he was behind the social media post and that he believes the county needs to own and control its own facility.
He stressed, however, that any such county owned animal shelter "will definitely not be a kill shelter."
Humane Society volunteer Nancy Tavolacci reached out to The Inter-Mountain Tuesday, saying that Siler told her he thought Mineral County's county owned animal shelter would be a good model for such a facility in Randolph.
"So I called Mineral County, and they have officers that are enforcement officers only, and they have two of them," Tavolacci said. "Also in Mineral County, they have a humane society, but there is no facility, it is only two private homes.
"They told me if any dog comes in sick, injured or aggressive, they put it to sleep immediately," she said. "Other dogs can be given to the humane society and if a foster home is available the dog is given to them. If no foster is available, the dog is held for five days and destroyed.
"Cris Siler is saying this Randolph County owned shelter will not be a kill shelter, but I think that is only a technicality. If it is modeled on Mineral County, it will definitely be a kill shelter."
Siler told The Inter-Mountain Monday that the Humane Society has refused to take animals brought to the shelter by the county.
Tavolacci took exception to this.
"When the county brings in dogs and cats, the shelter has to take them in," she said. "That is the agreement. They try to save room for that possibility. I'm sure there has been an instance or two in the past, nothing's perfect, but that can be worked out. It's all about communication, communication is the key.
"It's different if a private person brings in a dog or cat and they're full up at the shelter. But if the county brings in animals they have to take them."
Tavolacci said she hopes the county commissioners will work with the Humane Society and find common ground.
"The Randolph County Humane Society shelter has done well for many decades and continues to do so," she said. "Animals are taken in and loved and cared for, and we try to find them a new home. Any injuries, any illnesses are taken care of and they are spayed and neutered. So I don't know why we would want to change that."