The Oxford Board of Aldermen moved to create a committee to reevaluate Oxford’s contract with Mississippi Critterz, the city’s animal shelter, after the Oxford Police Department concluded an investigation into complaints at the shelter.
The city’s contract stipulates that Mississippi Critterz must run the shelter in a transparent manner in accordance with city rules. Mayor Robyn Tannehill moved to create the committee because the shelter was reluctant to share the results of a recent self-investigation to police investigators.
OPD Chief Jeff McCutchen said that while OPD did not find evidence to bring forth criminal charges against the shelter, officers did find it to have several problems such as overall cleanliness, lack of detailed medical records, overcrowded conditions, lack of written policies and protocols, staffing concerns and lack of formal training for employees and volunteers.
“There was also concern with the fact that the board of Mississippi Critterz was notified about issues in November of 2020, completed an internal investigation and led the governing city and county boards to believe that the issues would be rectified. As of the date of complaint to law enforcement, the issues have not been corrected in their entirety,” McCutchen said.
The committee will consist of Alderman Janice Antonow and Lafayette County supervisor Chad McLarty, both of whom are Mississippi Critterz board members. The board will also select a local veterinarian and a concerned citizen to join the committee.
McCutchen added that the shelter’s lack of transparency was concerning. Tannehill asked if he thought any information had been withheld from police, and McCutchen said no, though he didn’t think Mississippi Critterz had adequate records to provide officers with what they needed for their investigation in the first place.
The animal shelter has long been a point of discussion and crisis on social media in the Oxford community. Several community members attempted to speak openly at the meeting while the board discussed the animal shelter. Mayor Tannehill repeatedly said that the meeting was not a public hearing and threatened to remove some people from the room.
Tannehill said the city has received threatening messages and “demand letters” regarding the situation at the animal shelter in the past few weeks from people who believe there is ongoing animal mistreatment at the shelter. She said the city will not respond to demands and emphasized that the city handles issues through set procedures.
“I hope to have this commission in place in the next two weeks, and I hope that the people who profess to love animals that are passionate about having a first class animal shelter will try to work together to find some ways to solve problems and not just point them out,” Tannehill said.
