After the state closed Macon-Bibb’s animal shelter, a new agency is taking over

After being shut down since October, the Macon-Bibb Animal Welfare shelter is now being operated by the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office, Sheriff David Davis said Monday afternoon at a press conference.

The shelter was ordered by the Georgia Department of Agriculture to stop taking animals after an inspection found the facility overcrowded and dirty.

The sheriff’s office has 30 days to address those issues and get an operational plan together, but Davis said he hopes the shelter can open sooner.

Colonel Henderson Carswell will take on the role as animal welfare supervisor for the sheriff’s office, Davis said, and no one at the shelter will lose their job.

The sheriff’s office already is in charge of enforcement for the shelter.

“We have it all under one entity and we look forward to it being a success,” Davis said.