Scan the QR code to sign a petition by a local advocate who is looking to have a full-time animal control officer hired by Graham County.
A local animal advocate has launched an online petition, which hopes to bring a full-time animal control officer to Graham County.
Brittney Holder owns and operates B’s Pet Grooming out of her home. The number of disturbing cases in animal neglect she has seen over the years has finally mounted to Holder recently launching a non-profit animal rescue, Graham County Animal Refuge.
In addition to addressing the Graham County Board of Commissioners at Oct. 17’s meeting, Holder made a Nov. 8 Facebook post that has drawn a lot of attention to the matter. Holder cited that there are 3,000 stray cats in the Robbinsville city limits at the October commissioner meeting, but an Oct. 30 incident seems to have provided her with a public, concrete example of animal neglect itself.
According to the post, a Stecoah resident passed away Oct. 30, which led to a pair of cats being left in the residence until Holder was notified by Valley River Humane Society that a follow-up call regarding the cats being transported to the Marble shelter had proved unsuccessful. Holder and a friend retrieved the cats Nov. 8.
The county confirmed to The Graham Star on Tuesday that Harold Millsaps is the current officer.
The day after, Holder set up a petition through change.org and explained her stance on fighting for animal rights in Graham County.
There has long been an issue with animal control in the county, but Holder might garner enough momentum to get the position more attention at the county level.
“I witness the lack of suitable regulations for managing stray or neglected animals daily,” read a portion of the petition page. “In our county, the living conditions for animals, domestic and stray alike, are deplorable. This cannot continue. There is no immediate response system for reporting animal neglect or abuse, neither is there anyone to call regarding aggressive animals roaming loose, or establishing leash and breeding laws.
“We deserve more than this in Graham County and so does our animals.”
The county provided a statement to the Star on Tuesday, explaining their current approach to animal control.
“We are not addressing all issues at this time – as a shelter or control officer does – but we are responding to the calls for dangerous and/or neglected animals, and will take those if the owner doesn’t take care of them,” the statement said.
Holder told the Star that she is looking to present the petition at the Dec. 17 commissioners meeting. As of Tuesday, the petition had 239 signatures.
“This can’t wait until May 2025,” Holder said Nov. 9, citing when budget discussions for the 2025-26 fiscal year will begin. “We need this now.”
Holder is pushing for Kelsey Henderson to receive the job, which the county would have to create a position and salary for. According to Holder, Henderson has rescued strays most of her life and while described as “tough,” Holder said she “wholeheartedly would trust her decisions on the welfare of these animals.”
“More than 100 signatures just shows this is an issue,” Holder said. “A lot of people here have been affected by the stray animals and they want to start seeing some change. The animal issues here have been ignored for far too long. Spay and neuter, and a full-time animal control (officer) are the first two steps to making some sort of progress here.”
Holder also pitched commissioners on bringing a mobile spay-and-neuter unit from Logan’s Run Rescue in Murphy to Graham County on a quarterly basis, to help curb the issue.
“This petition calls for our local commissioners to work with us on implementing some animal welfare regulations, and to employ a full-time animal control officer who is trained and skilled in animal welfare,” the petition concluded. “They will be responsible for doing welfare checks on the animals, removing nuisance animals, establishing and enforcing leash laws in city limits, and assisting with animal hoarding seizing.
“This move will significantly better the lives of animals in our community and provide a more humane, safe, and responsible city for us all.”