No end in sight for LaFollette’s animal control crisis

Campbell County Animal Shelter officials say LaFollette owes them more than $75,000

LAFOLLETTE, TN (WLAF)- The City of LaFollette is facing a severe animal control crisis, and it appears the city’s hands are tied.

LaFollette has a large number of feral cats roaming the city. LaFollette Animal Control Officer Frankie Dople was recently approached by Mayor Scott Kitts to go to a residence on 4^th Street and remove 15-20 cats, most of which are feral, according to reports. City Administrator Stan Foust said that for each animal from LaFollette that goes into the Campbell County Animal Shelter on Towe String Road, the city is billed $220.

Complaints have started coming in more frequently from the Sonic Drive-In about the cats at the business being a nuisance. However, the Sonic cats have been an ongoing issue for at least two years, according to one official. 

Other complaints about feral cats have been made by the property owner at the Save-a-Lot Grocery Store. In an attempt to curtail the problem, Dople told people at the businesses to stop feeding the cats so he could try and trap them in hopes the shelter would help with the situation. But officials at the shelter report they are unable to house the feral cats. They would have to be placed on a three day stray hold before any action could be taken with the cats.

Last weekend, the city received two calls about cats who had allegedly attacked people. The first call was from a lady who had taken a stray cat into her home. The cat had been in the home for two days when it attacked the woman. The second call was from a man who reported a 12- year- old had been attacked by a mother cat who had kittens under a storage building.

“We understand both sides, and we’re in the middle,” Foust said, referring to the animal crisis.

Dople said anyone interested in adopting any of the feral cats can call 423-562-8331. He is willing to assist individuals in trapping and relocating the cats to interested people’s properties. Feral cats can help maintain and control the populations of some invasive species.

However, the animal control issue goes deeper than feral cats. The city has been embattled with Friends of Campbell County Animals who runs the shelter since last June. The city has alleged on various occasions that they have a contract with the shelter. According to shelter director Patricia Siwinski, the shelter does not have a contract with the City of LaFollette. Siwinski reports that any contract the city allegedly had does not apply to Friends of Campbell County Animals who is currently leasing the shelter.

According to the lease agreement from 2022, “FCCA may establish, charge, collect, and retain fees from any parties (public and private including municipalities, located within Campbell County). The lease agreement continues “the fees previously established by Section XX of the Animal Control Resolution adopted by the Campbell County Commission in January 2011 will no longer be applicable beginning July 1, 2022, and shall not be applicable during the term of this lease agreement and any renewals and/or extensions thereof”. In 2023, the FCCA sent out communications about their managed intake protocol along with a fee schedule to the municipalities, according to Siwinski. Base on online sources, managed intake protocols are a proactive strategy to regulate the flow of animals entering the facility, prioritizing those with the most urgent needs. This protocol does involve scheduling appointments.

The city has alleged that the animal control officer has been “banned” from the shelter since June 2024, Siwinski disputes this allegation. She alleged that the animal control officer failed to call ahead to schedule appointments to bring animals into the shelter as he has been requested to do on several occasions.

As of mid-June the City of LaFollette owes FCCA $76,525 (nearly 350 animals) and the Town of Jacksboro owes FCCA $4,580, according to Siwinski. The Town of Caryville has animal control services through the shelter so it is not billed.

For each animal the FCCA receives from a municipality, it is billed $220 to cover the cost of vet services for the animals. (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED-06/23/2025-6AM)