GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - After eight and a half years with the department, the Kent County Animal Shelter's director has resigned.
Steve Kelso, a spokesperson for the Kent County Health Department, confirms to 13 ON YOUR SIDE that Carly Luttmann resigned on Monday, Sept. 10. Kelso did not comment as to why.
Last week, we learned the shelter put down 39 percent of the dogs and cats admitted in 2017, one of the highest euthanization rates in the state. Only two other shelters in the state recorded lower release rates, according to an annual report from the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Luttmann has said the numbers are not surprising because of what the shelter is tasked to do. Last week Luttmann told 13 On Your Side the Kent County Animal Shelter is the only organization in Kent County with animal control officers that impound aggressive and stray animals.
Euthanasia rates at the shelter have dropped steadily since 2015, and the numbers in MDARD's report do not account for euthanizations by requests of the owners. The Kent Count Animal Shelter does not put down animals that are "behaviorally healthy or to clear space," Luttmann has previously said.
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