02/18/2026
𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗔𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗿𝘂𝗲𝗹𝘁𝘆, 𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗙𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁.
In animal rescue, we see hard things every day. We see cruelty. We see neglect. We see animals failed by the very people who were supposed to protect them. It’s heartbreaking — but we roll up our sleeves and do what we can to help.
For years, we worked alongside Union County Animal Control in Lake Butler, FL. It wasn’t easy. The budget was a joke. The facilities were old, with 15 outdoor kennels on the grounds of the prison. But the staff cared. They worked with us. Despite extremely limited resources, the staff bent over backwards to work with rescue groups to get dogs out safely.
Over the past decade, Florida Urgent Rescue (FUR) and Friends of Union County Animals (FOUCA) collectively spent hundreds of thousands of dollars supporting Union County. FUR pulled more than 400 dogs from Union County, including almost all of their major medical cases, spending over $250K on vet bills, covering transport and boarding expenses during every hurricane and major emergency. FOUCA spent more than $200K over the years paying virtually all their routine vet bills. We worked as partners to help the animals.
Then leadership changed nearly two years ago — and it has been like night and day.
Since that time, we have witnessed repeated neglect of animals in county custody. Florida statutes are repeatedly violated. Minimum standards of care are ignored. Suggestions are met with disdain. Concerns are dismissed. The cooperation that once existed was replaced with indifference.
One of the most heartbreaking examples is Elsa. She entered their facility happy and healthy. She became pregnant while in their custody. No one noticed. In two and a half months there, she received no veterinary care whatsoever. No dewormer. No flea and heartworm prevention. No vaccinations. No vet appointments. Nothing.
When they finally let us remove dogs from the outdoor kennels after a freezing night, Elsa was emaciated, severely anemic, riddled with parasites, and both heartworm and Ehrlichia positive.
She was very pregnant, on the verge of giving birth, and they didn’t even notice. She was extremely emaciated and in shocking condition, and they didn’t even notice.
A veterinarian who examined her the day we pulled her told us she had only a 50% chance of surviving delivery of her puppies. She was too critically anemic to survive a C-section. And she was just one of the dogs intentionally left outside in sub-freezing temperatures. That did not happen overnight — it was the result of prolonged and willful neglect.
It gets worse. Elsa was one of 13 dogs they kept in outdoor kennels during sub-freezing temperatures. While other counties were appealing for temp fosters and warning people to bring pets indoors, Union County ignored or vetoed every suggestion rescuers made to get the dogs out of the cold.
With historic cold weather on the way, rescue partners were actively blocked from removing dogs in advance of the freeze. They thought putting up tarps to partially block the wind, with nothing but an open plywood box and pine needles for protection, was good enough.
When dogs were finally released, they were found suffering from neglect, parasitic infestation, untreated medical conditions, and extreme physical deterioration. Two dogs were missing. They had no explanation.
There is a long list of other problems. They repeatedly adopted out puppies with no vetting. They let donated flea and heartworm medicine expire unopened, while dogs leaving were covered in fleas, loaded with parasites and scratching themselves raw. They let dogs sit in filthy kennels for days at a time. They refused to follow shelter best practices, standard intake protocols and National Animal Care and Control Association (NACA) guidelines.
They repeatedly said "We are not a shelter—we are Animal Control." What they call themselves does not excuse mistreatment, neglect or abuse of the animals in their custody.
For the past two years, we've tried to work within the system. We tried private conversations. We tried making suggestions. We tried offering help, resources, funding, and volunteers. We stayed longer than we should have because we hoped things could improve.
But there comes a point when we cannot in good conscience remain silent.
When a government agency repeatedly violates the law and refuses to provide even the minimum standards of care, we cannot just look the other way.
This is not an isolated incident. This is a repeated pattern of willful neglect and systemic violations.
And these violations are by the same people charged with investigating animal cruelty.
𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗙𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁.
A group of 55 citizens — including representatives from 12 different animal rescues and shelters, along with volunteers, adopters, and concerned citizens — sent a letter to Governor Ron DeSantis, Attorney General James Uthmeier, and Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson, formally requesting an investigation into Union County Animal Control.
We included 186 pages of documentation detailing numerous violations of Florida statutes, starting with animal cruelty.
Under Florida Statute 828.02, 𝗔𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗿𝘂𝗲𝗹𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗲𝘀 “𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗮𝗰𝘁, 𝗼𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗼𝗿 𝗻𝗲𝗴𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗯𝘆 𝘂𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗿 𝘂𝗻𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝘂𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗱." That’s exactly why we’re asking for this investigation.
This was not a move we took lightly. It was our last resort.
Not surprisingly, county leaders are already denying it and making excuses, which is exactly why we need a State level investigation.
We cannot stand silently and watch mistreatment, neglect, and suffering at the hands of the very people entrusted with upholding animal welfare.
Sometimes you try to fix things quietly. And sometimes you have to fight.
For the animals — we will always fight.
(Link to the letter is in the comments below).
