08/23/2026
๐ง๐๐ ๐ฃ๐๐ข๐ฃ๐๐ ๐๐ฆ๐๐๐ก๐ ๐ค๐จ๐๐ฆ๐ง๐๐ข๐ก๐ฆ ๐ช๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ง๐๐ ๐ฃ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐๐๐ ?
For the past two weeks, we have shared our concerns about the Board of Commissioners' decision to dismantle the Animal Advisory Council on August 4 just as several members of the former Council were raising questions about shelter operations, transparency, enrichment, medical care and accountability.
Since then, Commissioner Kirkland Carden (Kirkland4District1) has publicly accused former Council members of overstepping their authority, interfering with staff and even โ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐น๐ ๐๐๐ฏ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฝ๐๐ฏ๐น๐ถ๐ฐ ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐น๐ฎ๐๐.โ Both Carden and Chairwoman Nicole Love Hendrickson have declined our requests to meet and instead referred us to the County's press release, shelter leadership and/or County Legal.
We also attended Commissioner Ben Kuโs town hall last week, where he offered yet another explanation, stating that issues involving โ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐ณ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ณ๐ณโ ๐ต๐ฎ๐ฑ โ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฝ๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ป๐ป๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฎ๐ป๐ด๐ฒ.โ When we spoke with Ku afterward, he suggested that Council members may have been connected to threats against shelter staff.
However, Community Services Director Lindsey Jorstad subsequently confirmed to us that the individual who allegedly made the threat ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ฎ ๐บ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ป๐ถ๐บ๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ฑ๐๐ถ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ ๐๐ผ๐๐ป๐ฐ๐ถ๐น. When we asked Ms. Jorstad the obvious follow-upโhow a threat by someone outside the Council was connected to dismantling the Councilโno explanation was provided. Instead, we were directed to submit the question by email. At that point, we had already repeatedly sought answers from County officials and were looking for a direct explanation, not another referral to written correspondence. The other commissioners have not responded to our requests to meet.
Meanwhile, this is what a former Gwinnett Animal Shelter employee told GAAA about her experience working inside the shelter:
******
โMy experience as an employee was that no one wanted to put in any effort to make the animalsโ lives better. From management all the way down to ACO I, it was about how little effort they could give the animals and have the shelter still run.
As an example, an employee who had a known track record of not showing up for work, being caught sleeping on the job, and generally not doing his duties was never disciplined despite having multiple bullying hearings with HR. I was told by another officer that this employee was promoted to his position because he could not be fired due to his threats to call community services racist so they created a position for him where he didnโt have any importance.
Dogs did not get out of their kennels unless it was to be tied to a wall while they were being cleaned. Cats had no toys unless a certain few employees gave some to them. Kittens died because no one bothered to notice they were declining. A proactive employee who went to medical team to tell them a dog was lethargic and blowing snot bubbles was ignored and told vet staff was busy, while the vet techs scrolled on their phones.
Enrichment was few and far between and only ever done by one employee unless that employee specifically asked for help. Animals were euthanized without having their owners of record called and given a chance to reclaim for free.
While I was there the director and upper management were so worried about trying to hide from employees and volunteers which animals were being considered for euthanasia they gave almost weekly speeches at roll call about not talking to volunteers, telling the public about animals at risk, or talking amongst other employees about euthanasia at all. This seemed to be higher priority than making sure the animals in the building were not locked in a concrete or metal box 24/7 with nothing soft to lay on and nothing to do except go insane.
Multiple ACO's had to be repeatedly told to stay off their phones during work hours when they had โnothing to doโ. When told to take a dog for a walk, they complained and took 1 dog and got back on their phones. Staff actively complained about having to show animals to potential adopters and told them that animals were โmeanโ or said โyou donโt want that oneโ.
This is not something that happens because all ACO's are lazy. ๐ง๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ฎ ๐ฐ๐๐น๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ฏ๐๐ถ๐น๐ ๐ผ๐ป ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐ถ๐บ๐๐บ, ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ถ๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐บ๐ผ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐น๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฏ๐ ๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ฝ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ณ๐ณ. The culture of Gwinnett County Animal services is about hiding how little they care about animals, which is now being proven by dissolving the animal advisory council.โ
******
These are the experiences and allegations of one former employee, and GAAA is presenting them as such. But they raise serious concerns that deserve scrutinyโespecially because many of the broader issues she describes overlap with concerns advocates and former Council members had already been raising.
๐๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ต๐๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ณ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฐ๐๐น๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ถ๐ด๐ป๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ.
Council members were pushing discussions about additional cameras inside the shelter, an independent shelter audit, enrichment, spay/neuter resources and greater accountability. Residents were showing up. Questions were getting harder. For the first time in a long time, there was meaningful momentum toward change.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐๐ป๐ฐ๐ถ๐น ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐บ๐ฎ๐ป๐๐น๐ฒ๐ฑ.
And afterward, rather than seeing the same level of public scrutiny directed toward the concerns being raised about shelter operations, we watched a commissioner publicly accuse Council members of misconduct.
๐ช๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐บ๐ฒ ๐๐ฟ๐ด๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ด๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ป ๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ฒ๐ด๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐น๐๐ฒ๐ฟ?
These concerns are not new. GAAA raised concerns about shelter operations and accountability directly with Commissioners Ben Ku and Kirkland Carden when we met with them in 2024 and 2025. Advocates continued raising concerns. Council members began asking questions. Former employees have now described serious problems they say they witnessed from inside the shelter.
๐ช๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐ฒ๐?
Where is the willingness to sit down with advocates and answer questions?
And where is the same level of scrutiny being directed toward the allegations about shelter operations that has been directed toward the Council members who were trying to examine them?
If County leadership is genuinely concerned about accountability, then accountability cannot apply only to volunteers, advocates and advisory council members who ask uncomfortable questions.
๐๐ ๐บ๐๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐น๐ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ถ๐๐ ๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ฝ ๐๐ผ๐ผ.
You don't build public trust by attacking the people asking questions.
๐ฌ๐ผ๐ ๐ฏ๐๐ถ๐น๐ฑ ๐ถ๐ ๐ฏ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐พ๐๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐โ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ถ๐น๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ผ ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ด๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ต๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐พ๐๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐๐ป๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ.
Matthew For Gwinnett
Commissioner Jasper Watkins
Gwinnett County Government
