“I had to speak up”: Former Bryan Co. Animal Services employees raise concerns, county leaders respond to allegations

BRYAN COUNTY, Ga. (WTOC) - In an official statement this week, Bryan County addressed recent organizational changes within their Animal Services Department and their portrayal on social media.

Former employees also spoke with WTOC’s Madalyn Bierster about their experiences working as animal control officers.

The county confirmed to WTOC that there was an investigation into the quality and performance of Animal Services. Bryan County officials said the goal of this investigation was to make sure officers and staff were meeting performance expectations and were being held accountable for their actions.

After the investigation, Bryan County officials said they set requirements and accountability standards when a small group of employees chose to resign.

Meanwhile, former staff say they are blowing the whistle in a sense.

Several former employees shared with WTOC that they have voiced concerns over the years about safety issues, staffing shortages, burnout, and other issues at the county’s two shelters.

One employee was fired, 3 others resigned, along with a manager resigning--All within recent weeks.

Shortly after this group of people resigned, rumors began circulating in the community, the county said.

“I felt like I was leaving the animals behind. I was leaving my partner behind. But at some point, you get to a breaking point,” said former Bryan County Animal Control Officer Traci Sierra.

Traci Sierra and 4 other co-workers no longer work for Bryan County Animal Services.

“They would have us work at times up to 21 days straight,” said Sierra.

Sierra is a former law enforcement officer with 25 years of experience.

She says she asked for body-worn cameras for officers, two-way radios, and 2 animal officers to show up to calls, all for safety reasons.

“Our manager at the time, Brooke Edwards, she had made so many positive changes to that shelter. She had asked for a volunteer. She had asked for the new shelter love program that we have, that we utilize now. Every suggestion that she was given was just to put down. ‘We don’t have the funding for that.’ We asked for body-worn cameras for our officers. We asked for two-way radios. I’ve had the misfortune of going to a call where the gentleman answered the door with a firearm. Had it not been for my training and experience as a police officer, I would not have been able to de-escalate that. It turned out I was able to, and we were able to proceed with what we were doing, but that could have been a tragedy. And they were made aware of that, and nothing to this day was done about that at all. I know how things can go south really, really badly, and being by yourself should not be an option.”

Former Bryan County Animal Control Officer, Traci Sierra

She said many of the employees’ ideas for improvement were shot down.

“I just can’t sit back and watch this anymore. That’s the reason that I’m here today, because if I don’t stand up and say something, who’s going to say something?” said Sierra.

A resignation letter from another former employee says that she tried to advocate for change over the last 3 years, and now the department is at a tipping point.

The letter continues to say that staff are burning out quickly after taking on the responsibility of 2-3 workers.

That same former employee sent us the following statement about her employment there:

“I enjoyed being at Bryan County Animal Services. I made many wonderful connections with hardworking, dedicated individuals who showed up every day ready to give everything they had. I met so many phenomenal members of our community that cared so deeply about animal welfare here and treated us with so much kindness and I want to thank them for that. 

Bryan County has only one kennel tech that is part-time per shelter (two total) with 4 officers (2 per shelter) and 1 full time manager (that rotates visiting each end). This puts officers cleaning the shelter 2-3 week days plus 2 rotating weekends a month. With their on-call schedule this puts them often working 2 or 3 weeks before having a day off. By comparison, Bulloch County has 7 kennel/shelter techs at one shelter and volunteers (something Bryan has never allowed despite both staff and non-profit groups asking for them to be). Chatham county has 9 kennel/shelter attendants (all full time) and volunteers. Not only does this put an excruciating physical strain on staff but a mental one. Something we know management advocated for.

Animal welfare jobs have a similar suicide rate to other emergency positions, such as law enforcement. This is with most places of work spreading out that mental fatigue. Bryan is asking officers to come to work and handle every difficult part of this type of work. At the end of the day we were all people… not robots. We were people who got taken advantage of and often took work home due to limited resources to try and save as many animals as possible. We had no volunteers, no fosters. We were the ones responding to calls at 2am after working 14+ days in a row and also bottle feeding the 3 day old kittens all night. We also are the ones who dropped the euthanasia rate from 53% in 2019 to 12% both 2023 and 2024 with the assistance of our phenomenal local rescue partners.

At the end of the day, we do not want to see Bryan County fail. We do not hold ill wishes on anyone, past or present. We simply want to see them improve. We want to see them care for the animals in their community as much as we did. We want to see them be the example we know they are capable of being with proper resources.

After years of advocating from previous, ever-rotating staff, we simply had to make the hard decision to walk away and hope it was enough. We encourage our community members to be involved, ask the tough questions, demand transparency in your local government and as always, spay/neuter and microchip your pets!"

Former Bryan County Animal Services employee

But still, Traci says that although her heart is still with the animals in Bryan County, changes need to be made for her or other staff to come back.

“If it were a different administration and it was a county that cared about its animals, I would be back in a heartbeat. I would do it for free. It’s not about that,” said Sierra.

Bryan County said in their statement that they know there is always room for improvement, and they are constantly monitoring conditions and best practices to improve where they can.

In addition to allegations of a high employee turnover rate, there were also concerns from former animal services staff about the budget of their department.

Assistant County Administrator Kathryn Downs clarified rumors about the budget and pointed to the additional funding the county is allocating to animal services.

“The animal control budget has increased over the last four years. It’s about $285,000, and we’ve gone up to $466,000. We’re looking probably at an additional slight increase in this year’s budget,” said Assistant County Administrator Kathryn Downs.

That budget is used to run both shelters in Richmond Hill and Pembroke. Here is a link to their adoptable pets.

For reference, and also to be taken into consideration--population size for each county.

Chatham County’s budget is 2.3 million, with 24 employees. Their 2025 budget details can be found here.

Effingham County’s budget is around $322,000, with around 3.5 employees. You can find those specifics in their 2025 budget here.

Right now on the hiring front, Bryan County says staff are actively in the interview phase of the hiring process. Management conducted interviews with candidates as recently as yesterday (Monday).

Bryan County Government officials sent the following numbers:

Former staff tell WTOC that’s the same staffing numbers they had before. They’re pushing for the county to hire several more.

Bryan County leaders say they have been utilizing additional county staff to fill in as needed and help out at the shelters.

Bryan County officials addressed some of these claims in a full statement below:

“Bryan County Administration recently began an investigation into quality and performance of Animal Services.  The purpose of the investigation was to ensure that we were humanely caring for the animals in our care, that the officers and staff of Animal Services were complying with applicable standards, were meeting performance expectations, and were accountable for their actions.  During the course of the implementation of more stringent requirements and greater accountability following that investigation, a small group of employees chose to resign.  Unfortunately, shortly after the resignation of those individuals, rumors about Animal Services began circulating in the community.

It is unfortunate, and disheartening, that individuals are making and spreading patently false accusations.  False accusations are entirely counterproductive to our mission, as they divert valuable time and resources away from caring for animals and protecting the community.  We remain committed to transparency, accountability, and above all, the welfare of the animals in our care.  Of course, there is always room for improvement.  Bryan County Animal Services and Bryan County Administration are continuously monitoring conditions and best practices and seek to improve where and when possible. 

Our staff continues to work tirelessly every day to provide compassionate care, respond to calls, and ensure that shelter animals find safe and loving homes.  Caring for animals is not just a role for Animal Services.  It also requires every animal owner to treat their animal with care and compassion.

The public can be assured that our focus will not be distracted by false narratives—we will continue to move forward in strengthening services for both the community and the animals we serve."

Bryan County Communications Manager, Nicholas Beard

During this time, Renegade Paws Rescue stepped in to help with getting fosters for some of the dogs in Bryan County.

Renegade even took to social media, saying in part, “Bryan County, we love you. We see you. And we’re never going to stop fighting for the dogs and cats you serve.”

“BCAC has lost many amazing animal control officers and they are searching for a new director. Unlike many municipal shelters, Bryan County’s commissioners do not allow the shelter staff to recruit volunteers. The few shelter staff left are overstretched, underpaid and doing everything they can to save animals.

But still, it is not enough. The county has taken euthanasia decisions out of the hands of shelter staff in an unprecedented move, and has decreed that rescues must go through county administration to pull dogs."

Renegade Paws Rescue

Here’s a look at some of the dogs they are fostering out on behalf of Bryan County:

We also inquired with Bryan County leaders about euthanasia.

The county told WTOC’s Madalyn Bierster that most day-to-day decisions are made by department heads and staff. Since the Dept head for animal services resigned, Kathryn Downs fills in until a new manager is hired. She is not making sole decisions on euthanasia. It’s a decision made by staff and those directly involved in animal care. There is a chain of command; The ultimate decision for euthanasia is usually made by the animal shelter manager, but it’s a staff decision with everyone’s input, never just one person unilaterally making that decision.

Just like other counties, half of the county departments fall under the County Administrator, Ben Taylor, and the other half report to the Assistant County Administrator, Kathryn Downs.

So far this year, Bryan County said it’s achieved a live outcome rate of 80% (approximately 550 pets), meaning the vast majority of animals in their care have been adopted, reunited with their owners, or transferred to one of our trusted rescue partners.

These numbers are shared with the Georgia Department of Agriculture to ensure full transparency and to maintain the county’s shelter license.

“Every animal that comes through our doors receives love, attention, and every opportunity possible for a positive outcome. Our team works tirelessly to find safe, loving homes for each pet. Unfortunately, there are times when very difficult decisions must be made. Euthanasia is always a last resort and is based solely on an animal’s overall health and temperament. When those heartbreaking moments occur, the decision is made thoughtfully by staff members, including feedback from those who have cared for the individual pet, ensuring it is handled with compassion, respect, and care.”

Bryan County Communications Manager, Nicholas Beard

Bryan County also sent these details about their budget:

From 2021 to 2025, the budget increased from $284,500 to $466,600 (delta $182,100; 156% increase)

• Much of that increase has gone into investing in our staff and care for the animals.
• Accredited training is now offered to Animal Control officers through the National Animal Care and Control Association (NACCA), so our officers receive training that is consistent with national standards.  
• Since 2021, we have added 2 part-time kennel tech positions and increased salaries for all positions: The Manager’s salary is around $58k.
• Average salary of current ACOs is $16.38 (offer 2.5% increase at 6 months; consistent longevity and COLA).
• Consistently received grant funding for spay and neuter programs through the Georgia Department of Agriculture, and we continue to educate the community about the benefits of spaying and neutering your animals to prevent unwanted litters and overcrowding in the shelters. 

The budget for 2026 will not be proposed to the commissioners until next month and will be voted on and approved before the end of the year. Currently, there are no plans for a reduction in the animal services budget, the county says.

Here is a link to their adoptable pets. You are also able to foster through several rescues including Renegade Paws Rescue, Castaways Pet Rescue, and the 2 Black Dogs Foundation.

Here is Bryan County’s Animal Services website directly.

We will continue to provide updates on Bryan County’s animal shelters as new details become available.