McDuffie County Animal Shelter finds new director
THOMSON, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - The McDuffie County Animal Shelter has hired a new director after the previous director resigned four months into the job.
County officials hired Micayla McClain to fill the position.
According to Jason Smith, community development director, McClain will step into the role on Monday.
The previous director, Wendy Ivey, resigned, citing a need to spend more time with family.
Her last day was June 28.
In February, the county announced Ivey as the new director.
“She brings a wealth of much-needed knowledge and experience, and we certainly feel she is the right person to lead our animal services efforts into the future,” said McDuffie County Manager David Crawley in February. “She will be an asset to our community and an advocate for our animals.”
She took over after claims of neglect, abuse, mistreatment, and extreme animal cruelty shut the shelter down.
We sat down with Ivey in April to talk about her goals for the shelter after the allegations.
“I guess naturally, it adds a little bit of pressure, but I’m not intimidated by it. I know who leads me so I’m confident, you know, in my experience, and I’m confident that I’ll be equipped to do exactly what I was brought here to do,” said Ivey.
MORE COVERAGE:
- What’s the status of the McDuffie County Animal Shelter?
- McDuffie County animal shelter to reopen despite investigation
- McDuffie County pet shelter remains closed; investigation continues
- Investigation set out against McDuffie County animal shelter
Shortly after the shelter faced allegations, the county ed the Department of Agriculture and the GBI to open an investigation.
neglect, abuse, or mistreatment of animals in the shelter.
The state did find discrepancies in the electronic recordkeeping of animals coming in and out of the shelter.
Ivey came to McDuffie after being the animal services director in Bulloch County. She said she felt called to take this job.
“God did. I didn’t choose that. He chose that for me. I just obeyed and followed,” she said.
We asked Smith if Ivey’s resignation will delay the opening of the shelter even more.
He said in a statement, “That’s a hard question. We are still searching for a supervising vet, which is a state prerequisite for reopening. So, it’s hard to say this will “delay” anything – if that makes sense. That said, reopening the shelter is going to be a top priority for the new shelter director.”
Copyright 2023 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
