09/12/2026
❤️ A MESSAGE TO THE ROBERTSON COUNTY COMMUNITY from ACO Mia Acree❤️
Recently, I was presented with an opportunity that I truly cannot turn down. It is a 9–5 position, and unfortunately, accepting it means I will no longer be available to the public during those hours or able to give Animal Control the availability that this position deserves, so I have resigned my position.
This is one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to share, because this decision does not come from a lack of love for this job, this shelter, or these animals. If anything, that is what makes this so incredibly difficult.
When I took over as ACO just 10 months ago, I never could have imagined how deeply this little shelter and this community would become a part of my life.
I’ve laughed here. I’ve cried here. I’ve lost sleep over these dogs. I’ve celebrated adoptions like they were my own. I’ve worried over sick dogs, fought for dogs who needed someone in their corner, and watched scared, broken dogs slowly learn that people could be trusted again.
I’ve watched dogs who were overlooked find families.
I’ve watched dogs who came in with nothing leave with everything.
And I’ve watched this community rally together over and over again for animals who desperately needed someone to care.
I have been incredibly lucky to be that person.
But the truth is, I could never have done any of this alone.
I may have been the one walking through those shelter doors every day, but what we have accomplished belongs to an entire village.
Our volunteers. Our fosters.Our rescues.Our donors.Our local businesses. The people who transported dogs for hours. The people who opened their homes. The people who donated food, beds, medicine and supplies. The people who shared post after post until the right person saw it. And the people who simply cared.
You are the reason this little shelter has been able to do what it has done.
And I want you to know something very important:
I am not walking away and leaving this shelter or this community to figure things out alone.
I will be helping find a replacement ACO who is the right fit for Robertson County and for these animals. I will help train them, show them the ropes, introduce them to the incredible village we have built, help them understand how things work, and do everything I can to make the transition as smooth as possible.
And I will be extending this page to them as well, because I don't want the connection we've created here to disappear.
I want the communication to continue.
I want the village to continue.
I want the support, the sharing, the fostering, the rescuing, the donations, the transports, the adoptions and everything we've built together to keep growing.
This page has become so much more than a page. It has become a place where people come together for animals who have no voice of their own. I want that to continue long after I step away from the position.
And while I may no longer be the ACO, I am not leaving these dogs permanently.
I will continue to show up.
I will continue to volunteer.
I will continue to love these dogs.
I will continue to support Robertson County Animal Shelter whenever I can.
And I will continue doing the same for BCAS and Cleo’s Legacy, because these animals and the people who fight for them have become such a huge part of my life.
I don't think I'll ever really stop caring about shelter dogs.
These dogs have become a part of me.
I will never forget a single dog who walked through those shelter doors. Every intake. Every adoption. Every difficult case. Every late night. Every happy ending. Every dog we fought for.
They will stay with me forever.
I am so incredibly proud of what this tiny shelter has accomplished in such a short amount of time. But more than anything, I am proud of the lives we have changed together.
Thank you for trusting me with the opportunity to serve Robertson County.
Thank you for believing in me.
Thank you for standing beside me when things were hard.
Thank you for celebrating with me when things went right.
And thank you for allowing me to love these animals as fiercely as I have.
I don't know exactly what the next chapter will look like, but I do know this:
My time as ACO may be coming to an end, but my love for these dogs and this community isn't.
I hope whoever takes this position next realizes what an incredibly special little shelter this is.
I hope they realize what an incredible village stands behind it.
And I hope they continue to build on everything we've created together.
Because this was never just about one person.
It has always been about the dogs. 151 lives saved in a short 10 month period, WE DID THAT!
With all my love and gratitude,
Mia Acree
Robertson County Animal Control
