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TYLER, Texas (KETK) – A new Smith County animal shelter could be in the works soon. The news comes on the heels of a social media post made Wednesday by Smith County Judge Neal Franklin addressing recent backlash against Smith County Animal Control and Shelter.

Judge Franklin spoke about how his office receives up to 80 calls a day regarding where to go to pick up animals.

“Oftentimes when will we receive 30 to 80 calls a day,” Franklin said. “I mean it varies, but a lot of these are actually to go out and pick up animals.” 

Judge Franklin said more animals make their way to the county’s animal shelter everyday. That’s just one of the issues, he outlined in a 16-point Facebook post on Wednesday.

“I just wanted to make sure and answer questions, and I received a lot of calls,” Franklin said. 

Judge Franklin touched on several points during the 16-point Facebook post including the center’s process of operations, kennel cleaning issues, business hours and their euthanasia policy. He pointed out in his post that a solution to some of these problems could come from a new location. 

Shelter supervisor Amber Greene said a new location is needed, adding their current building was not made to hold animals, especially this many cats and dogs.  

“The facility that we’re in now it used to be Crescent Laundry,” Greene said. “They just kind of remodeled it for an animal shelter.”

According to Greene, cleaning the kennels takes between five and six hours every day. The shelter also doesn’t have an official space for potential adopters to meet the animals. 

“The stuff that we put on it on a day-to-day basis has proven to be more than what it can handle,” Greene said. “So, we are looking to build a new shelter. And of course, we need a little bit bigger than what we are here.”

Greene said she hopes the new space will help with the shelter’s ultimate goal of getting these animals adopted.

“So, we want to be able to have that inviting atmosphere for potential adopters and volunteers and just a community to come out to kind of see what we have,” Greene said. 

The planning stages are in the works and the county hired Shelter Planners of America to research what the county needs. A timeline for the new shelter has not been set yet.