Mayor: “We’re going to make some major improvements” amid investigation into conditions at Campbell, Mo. dog pound

CAMPBELL, Mo. (KFVS) - The Missouri Department of Agriculture is investigating conditions at the dog pound in Campbell, Missouri.

According to Campbell Mayor Randall Baker, investigators spent much of Monday, June 5 at the pound where they discovered several violations.

Baker said the city received citations for inadequate air conditioning, rusted fencing, full fly catchers and a sharp edge on an opening between the shelter and the exercise area.

Baker said the city is starting to address those issues.

“We’re going to make some major improvements out there,” Mayor Baker said during a phone interview with Heartland News.

The investigation comes after videos and pictures, purportedly from the shelter, were posted on social media.

“I understand people being upset about the situation,” Baker said. “We are working diligently to correct it.”

According to Baker, six dogs were at the pound on Monday. One of them was dead, and two others have since passed away.

The three surviving dogs were taken to a veterinarian’s office in Poplar Bluff, and are now in the care of rescuers in St. Louis, according to Baker. Two dogs were taken to Stray Rescue of St. Louis and the other at Diamonds in the Ruff Rescue.

Baker said animal rescue groups from the St. Louis area are also offering resources to improve conditions at the Campbell dog pound.

He said plans include putting a new roof over the pound to keep the shelter cool and putting up a screen to keep flies out.

Mayor Baker said he’s also reached out to the Dunklin County Sheriff’s office to conduct an investigation separate from the investigation by the state.

People from all over southeast Missouri were outraged by what they saw, and some decided to take action.

“To see animals like that--talk about an actual pain in your heart,” said dog foster parent Beth Cronan, from Malden, Mo.

Cronan said she was contacted to check on the condition of the dogs at the Campbell dog pound.

“In one of the places that they should have been safest in, to be treated like that,” Cronan said. “There was absolutely no sense, it was pure neglect and laziness on Campbell’s part. And something needs to be done.”

Julie Christofferson played a vital role in getting action started on this heartbreaking situation. She said changes are coming to the dog pound.

Christofferson filed a Bark Alert with the Department of Agriculture on Friday and worked throughout the weekend.

“I have a meeting with the mayor on July 1. I’ll be going down,” Christofferson said. “We will be going through and just figuring out what we can do to help. We have a lot of resources here--I know they don’t have a lot of resources there.”

She added that there will also be a public meeting held at the Campbell Civic Center on Saturday, July 1 at 11:30 a.m.

Christofferson said the mayor is willing to work on fixing things.

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