All good things come to an end.

That's the way Kay Amsden, former operations manager for the Kosciusko County Animal Shelter, sees the transfer of the shelter to the hands of the Animal Welfare League.

The League took control of the animal shelter Sunday.

The last day for the Kosciusko County Animal Shelter was Oct. 30. The employees tried to make the final day just like any other day.

On the last day, Amsden said, "It's pretty hectic. We're running business as usual."

Receptionist Hilda Dorris said, "It doesn't seem real."

"We were talking this morning about how eerie this place is now that all the stuff is changing," Amsden said.

One person who will remain with the shelter once the AWL takes over is shelter technical staffer Tracey Yates, who will become co-director at the shelter.

"I was approached by the Animal Welfare League. I'll be here Monday," she said. "It just happened Wednesday."

Amsden said that hiring Yates was probably one of the smartest moves the AWL could make.

"She's very good at what she does," Amsden said.

Yates said the place wasn't going to be quite the same. She has been with the shelter for six years.

"We love Kay. It's like a family here," she said.

Dorris agreed with Yates that there will be many changes once the transition takes places. She said it has been a good job and was sorry everyone was leaving.

Dorris will retire. She has worked at the shelter for seven years, but has been going to the shelter since 1984.

"I've been walking dogs ever since, two or three times a week," she said.

"I think you can say I'm burned out."

The AWL will pay the county $1 a year to lease the shelter. The county, in return, will pay the AWL $30,000 a year for expenses. The county will also pay the salary of the animal control officer.

Previous budget for the animal shelter was between $112,000 to $129,000 a year. It was estimated by county Human Resources Director Ron Robinson that the savings would be about $50,000 to $60,000 a year.

Equipment and truck expenses will be absorbed by the sheriff's department, but should not cause any financial hardships to the sheriff's budget.

The AWL will cover the animal control services for the entire county.

As for Amsden, she said, "I'm looking forward to taking some time off. I'm one of those people who usually doesn't."

She said she will go home to Michigan to see her family during the holidays. She has baby nieces that she is looking forward to spoiling and her son is excited about her cooking for him.

"I need to take some time off, sit back and relax," she said.

At the beginning of 1999, Amsden plans to look into other aspects.

"One thing I can tell you is that I'll never leave the animal control business," she said. "Animals have always been priority one.

"I'll miss it like someone has taken my left arm."

As for her co-workers, Amsden said, "What I'll miss most is my staff. That reflects directly on the shelter. They are the most compassionate and loving staff. They get little pay. They sweat in the summer and freeze in the the winter."

"They have worked sick, they have worked pregnant, they have worked after major surgery. They never complained."

As for recommendations for the AWL, Amsden said she didn't have any, but she wished them well. She said she hoped they would have their own ideas, policies and guidelines in place to help them.

"They will find out in a real hurry how animal control and the shelter works in Kosciusko County," she said.

The public has also made their feelings known to the shelter employees, Amsden said. They received a large flower arrangement from one woman who was sad to see the change, among others.

"A gentleman wanted to stop in and tell the staff how much he appreciated what we've done over the last eight years," Amsden said.

"Response by the general public has been wonderful." [[In-content Ad]]