County assumes shelter operations, officials report staffing and service improvements

McKinley County officials reported measurable operational improvements at the McKinley County Humane Society during a December 16 meeting of county commissioners, following the county assumption of shelter operations on November 1. Animal Control Director Tiffany Hubbard described a rapid focus on facility sanitation, staff training, and restoration of core services after a period of municipal control.

Hubbard said the Animal Control department now staffs 14 positions, including a director, a manager, four animal care workers, two veterinary technicians, an adoption specialist, a front desk administrator, and four officers. The department was recruiting to fill vacancies for one animal care worker and two animal control officers. Staff spent the first two weeks cleaning and reorganizing the shelter facility, discovering attic storage cluttered with sheets, towels, blankets, and paperwork soiled by mouse droppings and urine, along with broken kennels. Expired medical supplies were discarded and records were reorganized to meet state requirements, including surgical and medication logs required by the New Mexico Board of Veterinary Medicine.

Training was identified as a top priority. From December 8 through December 10 the full staff completed certification training through Animal Care and Control Company and are now certified in disease exposure control, pole use, lifting and loading, canine and feline behavior, shelter sanitizing, and proper cleaning procedures. Hubbard said the training addressed long standing gaps and that previous staff "never had professional training before."

Officials reported progress on adoptions and vaccinations. The department lowered vaccine prices to fourteen dollars, a change that increased public demand for vaccinations and helped prevent repeat outbreaks of parvovirus, with no parvo outbreak reported since October. The shelter has resumed animal transports to Española and Valley Arizona and has scheduled trips to Moriarty and Colorado, with each transport carrying between two and seven animals. Spay and neuter services have been catching up through a contracted veterinarian from Albuquerque who visits two to three times a week.

The Animal Control board is scheduled to meet in January to finalize the fiscal year 2027 budget, and Hubbard plans to present that budget to commissioners ahead of the county annual budget deadline. For residents, the coming budget decisions will shape staffing, service continuity, vaccination access, and the long term duties of a county run shelter.