The Macoupin County Animal Control and Adoption Center is under new management after the former administrator resigned to pursue a new career. At the helm now is Ashley Scales.
Scales lives in Gillespie with her fiance and 6-month-old daughter. She grew up in Peoria, moved to Iowa to attend Iowa State University, and recently relocated to Illinois in March.
Animals have always been part of her life. She started working with animals in high school at a pet daycare and boarding facility. During college, she worked for a pet grooming facility, volunteered for a wildlife rehabilitation center, and even studied abroad in South Africa at a conservation center for cheetahs and African wild dogs.
After graduating from Iowa State University with a bachelor’s degree in animal ecology in 2017, she got an internship at a zoo where she worked with ungulates such as rhino, giraffe, and several antelope species. Shortly after her internship ended, she accepted a job as an Animal Control Officer in central Iowa.
Scales is currently being trained in county procedures and working diligently on updating records and filing reports while also deep cleaning, sanitizing, and re-organizing the shelter from top to bottom. The shelter has been closed to the public during this time of transition so that the focus can be on animal care, improving shelter operations, and responding to emergency calls about animals in need or running loose.
“The biggest thing I want to work on right now is transparency,” Scales said in a provided press release. “When I originally applied for this position and was researching the shelter, the one thing I noticed was that the shelter did not publish their statistical data. It’s important to share those numbers with the community, and with shelter staff, to see exactly where the shelter is doing well, and to see where improvements can be made.”
Scales continued by saying her position and the shelter is here to keep the community safe and help animals in need.
“I want to assure everyone that we are focused on the 40+ dogs, cats and kittens in our care,” Scales concluded.
A future re-opening announcement will be made and the community will once again be able to make appointments to meet adoptable animals, get rabies tags, drop off donations, and conduct other shelter business.