LIBERTY COUNTY, Texas – Liberty County officials are holding the first of several promised workshops in the county to address the problem of stray dogs and other animal welfare-related issues in the county.
The workshop, which is open to the public, is scheduled to be held Tuesday at Plum Grove City Hall located at 9485 Plum Grove Road. It is scheduled to start at 7 p.m.
The workshop comes following promises by county commissioners to hold these workshops to engage with the public on animal welfare issues.
The issue of stray and roaming dogs has been a persistent problem in Liberty County, draining the resources of local rescuers. For three years, advocates have been calling for the establishment of an animal shelter, animal control services, and low-cost spay and neuter programs. Multiple people across the county have reported being attacked by the aggressive stray dogs.
Members of the Liberty County community have taken the problem to the Liberty County Commissioners Court with advocates being present at multiple meetings.
During the January commissioners meeting, Liberty County Precinct 2 Commissioner Greg Arthur announced there would be public workshops on the matter. However, controversy also broke out following the meeting after a hot mic captured Liberty County Pct. 3 Commissioner David Whitmire and Liberty County Judge Jay Knight appearing to mock the issue and the advocates.
The remarks led to frustration among the advocates.
“At the end of the day, it just reinforced that they don’t care,” said independent rescuer Jenni Rodriguez.
While neither Knight nor Whitmire issued an apology, Commissioner Greg Arthur told KPRC 2 that he did not believe the comments were intended to be disrespectful. However, he acknowledged that the mocking should not have occurred.
Officials say while this workshop will be open to the public, future workshops may be restricted.
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