By Robert Anderson Publisher of the Lakeland Gazette
Sheriff Grady Judd has done great things to clean up the streets in Polk County but when it comes to cleaning up his mess and his animal services he refuses to talk about it.
Sheriff Grady Judd loves the camera and likes to tell everybody in the world that he arrested this that the and the other person.
It’s a known fact that Judd is a bird lover and it’s also a known fact that he’s been quoted to say that cats kill birds.
For as long as I’ve been on this Earth and taking care of cats I’ve never been handed a dead bird by a cat. I’ve received presents such as mice, rats, lizards but never a bird.
So that excuse that Judd uses doesn’t mean anything to me or to most cat lovers.
Recently there have been pictures taken inside the animal services which is one of his departments under the sheriff’s office in Polk County.
The Lakeland Gazette has asked multiple times for a face-to-face or a phone interview with Grady Judd but what I get is they want to know the questions before the interview this is not how you run an interview in this time and day. So they continue not allowing any interviews when it comes to animal services.
We just wonder why what are they hiding we have dug out so many things in the last 2 years of reporting – they euthanize so many animals every year the dead cats they sell for $10 apiece and euthanized dogs the University of Florida veterinary sciences are given first right of refusal.
Best Friends organization has tried for years to make the Polk County Animal Services a no-kill shelter but at this time Polk County Animal Services will not even allow Best Friends organization to be on premises.
An anonymous donor offered to build a new animal service for Polk County if Sheriff Grady Judd would allow a not-for-profit to run it and he has refused.
Grady Judd is elected sheriff the people need to understand why is he not being transparent when it comes to these things he’s breaking the law.
Currently, they only have one veterinarian the facility size requires two full-time veterinarians and a part-time veterinarian to cover all that their needs. But this is where Judd saves money. They use vet techs instead. Which makes the quality of care for the animals unjustifiable bad.
Where the animals are kept is not air conditioning they do run fans but all the fans are doing is blowing hot air. Since they are just blowing around hot air it seems to be much warmer in the kennel area because of this reason. Just remember Lakeland has seen days while the temperature has reached 98° but feels like 110°.
Just imagine you sitting in a cage It is 98°, feels like 110°, and all you feel is the hot blowing fans on you.
I believe that Judd should be arrested for felony animal abuse or put in a cage for 24 hours outside kennels with a fan blowing near him.
We already know neither of these ideas are going to happen but I personally hope that he gets heartburn over this editorial.
When people find out about the cruel animal abuse.
The citizens wanted to see the problem and adopt as many animals as possible. All the sheriff staff did was lock the gates on the free adoption day and let no one in!!!!