There’s a new person in charge at the Scioto County Dog Shelter, and county officials are hoping the latest change marks the beginning of a more stable chapter for a facility that has spent much of the year in turmoil.
Scioto County Commissioners announced Thursday that Cody Brickey has been sworn in to serve in the newly combined role of Dog Warden and Shelter Director.
The appointment comes after months of resignations, staffing problems, complaints about shelter operations and questions about animal care. Commissioners recently advertised the combined position as part of an effort to restructure leadership at the shelter.
The announcement came as Commissioner Merit Smith recognized National Dog Day during Thursday’s meeting. That prompted Commissioner Will Mault to praise Scioto Hounds, the nonprofit organization that has become increasingly involved in helping the county shelter.
Mault said the organization was doing a “fantastic job” and publicly thanked its members for their work.
Commissioner Scottie Powell then congratulated Brickey on taking over the shelter.
“We swore him in as our warden/director of the shelter,” Powell said.
Powell also thanked Scioto Hounds for its partnership with the county and pointed to a particularly important accomplishment this week: finding placement for 15 shelter dogs that had been facing euthanasia.
He also praised the organization for grant money it has already brought in to assist the shelter.
“Looking forward to big things for Cody,” Powell said.
Scioto Hounds Steps Up
Brickey isn’t walking into the job alone.
Scioto Hounds has become a significant part of the county’s effort to stabilize the shelter. The organization has previously helped secure vaccines and thousands of pounds of dog food, worked on improvements to help cool the non-climate-controlled portion of the shelter and helped connect dogs with rescues.
The county and Scioto Hounds also entered into a formal memorandum of understanding to allow the nonprofit to perform certain work at the county facility.
Most recently, its efforts apparently helped save 15 dogs that otherwise faced euthanasia.
Scioto Hounds welcomed Brickey in a social media post following the announcement.
“We would like to welcome the new Director/Warden to the Scioto County Dog Shelter,” the organization posted. “We look forward to working with you Cody Brickey.”
A Shelter in Transition
Brickey inherits a shelter that has been through an extraordinary amount of upheaval.
Multiple dog wardens have resigned this year. Former Dog Warden Heather Stevens left amid a contentious dispute with county officials. Kennel technician Shanna Donini recently resigned as well, telling SCDN she had serious concerns about leadership, procedures and animal care.
Rescue volunteer Tiffany Pistole of Rico Pet Recovery has also spoken publicly about what she says were longstanding problems involving veterinary care, disease control and relationships with rescue organizations.
At the same time, commissioners have acknowledged staffing and retention problems and have discussed some fairly dramatic alternatives, including the possibility of eventually placing dog warden responsibilities under the Scioto County Sheriff’s Office.
Instead, at least for now, the county has chosen to combine the shelter’s two top jobs.
The position commissioners recently advertised makes Brickey responsible for virtually every aspect of the operation: supervising and training employees, animal health and care, shelter policies, budgets, fundraising, facility maintenance and rescue relationships, while simultaneously performing the law-enforcement duties of a dog warden.
That includes responding to complaints, seizing dogs when appropriate, investigating bites and livestock attacks, issuing citations and taking emergency calls after hours.
It’s a substantial workload, particularly at a shelter that has struggled with overcrowding and staffing.
Signs of a Fresh Start
There are, however, some significant differences between this latest change and earlier attempts to stabilize the shelter.
Scioto Hounds is now actively involved. Volunteers are being recruited. Outside donations and grant funding are coming in. Fifteen dogs facing euthanasia found somewhere else to go this week.
And now the county has put one person clearly in charge of both shelter operations and dog warden duties.
After a year dominated by controversy over the Scioto County Dog Shelter, the question is no longer whether there were problems. Commissioners themselves have repeatedly acknowledged that the shelter has been going through a difficult transition.
The question now is whether the new structure, increased volunteer involvement and growing partnership with Scioto Hounds can finally turn that transition into lasting change.
For Cody Brickey, that’s the job he just inherited.