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By Carey Reeder | Managing Editor

Christina Bollack has been the one tasked with turning the page for the animal shelter in Chilton County and giving it better horizons for the future. Now known as the Chilton County Animal Control Department, the animal shelter was taken over by the county and Bollack on Jan. 6. Since then, improvements to the HVAC systems, drainage improvements, deep cleaning throughout the shelter and catching up on vaccines have all happened within a productive first month for the new boss.

“This is all about the animals and not who can get their name out there or whose rescue is considered God for the day, that is not what it is about,” Bollack said. “Animal welfare is about working together and not against each other, and so far, the community that has shown up has proven that. As with anything there is a transition period, and people have to understand there are growing pains.”

The Chilton County Animal Control Department was set up to comply with state laws. Alabama Code Section 3-7A-7 states that each county in the state shall provide a suitable county pound, or shelter, and impounding officer for stray dogs, cats and ferrets. The former Humane Society of Chilton County was unable to take in animals at the shelter due to overcrowding, which violates the state code. Over the last year, the county has been tasked with establishing an animal control department to meet those state mandates and bring the shelter back into code which it set aside funds for last October. This is where Bollack stepped in.

Growing up, she was surrounded by the animal welfare industry with her mom working at their local Humane Society her entire childhood. Bollack did try to branch out to different areas of work, but she did not enjoy it and knew where her heart was. She was looking to get back into animal welfare, and the position with the county came on her radar. Bollack recently relocated from Ohio for the position.

“From the time I could almost walk till my adult life that is what I did,” Bollack said. “I was told ‘If you love what you do you will never work a day in your life.’”

Bollack researched the shelter online and found the turbulent times it has gone through over the last few years, but that did not deter her from it. While she believes that negative publicity sparks change, she is ready to have more positive things said and spread about the shelter with the help of the past volunteers from the former Humane Society of Chilton County, the shelter’s new growing staff and the Chilton County community. When she visited the area, she fell in love with how nice the people she interacted with were.

Bollack has worked with many different animal shelters in the past but never a municipal shelter for a county or government entity, so this is something new for her as well as the county. With a municipal shelter, there are completely different guidelines and regulations on how to do things and both parties are learning as things grow. Bollack has a fundraising background as well that will benefit the influx of funds for the new municipal shelter.

“I really enjoy doing the fundraising aspect and seeing all of the people in the community come together for a common goal for the animals,” Bollack said.

Bollack said nothing could have prepared her for what she was walking into when she took over the shelter on Jan. 6. Her first day walking through the shelter, she said it was among the worst conditions she has seen at a shelter before. It broke her heart. She understood certain things were neglected, but not to the extent that she saw them at. Bollack added that she sympathized with the hardships the shelter faced with funds and staffing issues, but is ready to turn the page on that chapter and start a new one for everyone involved.

Since taking over, Bollack, the tenured staff and volunteers have gotten several animals to the vet and got the animals caught up on their vaccines to help prevent any sickness outbreak at the shelter.

Going forward, Bollack wants to get the adoption process going again for the community to have the chance to adopt the animals as their own pets before they are put up for rescue. She has had several people asking about adoptions, and the shelter is in the process of getting the contracts and details switched over going from a nonprofit to municipal shelter to get those adoptions started.

“This is a facility for the public … We want everyone to be able to come through, get a new volunteer program going and start focusing on the new building,” Bollack said.

Bollack addressed some of the misconceptions that have swirled around recently, such as the shelter turning away volunteers. She said volunteers from corporate operations, the local community, inmates from the Chilton County Jail and more have all come out to lend a hand. Prior to volunteering, every volunteer has to have a contract signed with the county so any liability is covered — another new step in the transition for the shelter.

Bollack also commented on the current state of the shelter’s euthanasia policy. She said legally, there is no such thing as a ‘no kill’ shelter because the way it is defined is a 90% live release for a shelter would classify them as a ‘no kill’ shelter. She added that the Chilton County shelter does not euthanize for space, but it will if an animal is overly aggressive or very ill.

“We will never say we will be no kill,” Bollack said. “We do not want to euthanize for space, which is separate and completely different, but we will euthanize for severe aggression or illnesses that would be in the best care of the animals and the staff.”

The department is also in the process of hiring full-time technicians through the animal control department and will eventually hire an assistant director to help work alongside Bollack. She invited everyone to come out to the shelter to volunteer during operating hours, and tours of the facility are available.