News Photo by Steve Schulwitz Alpena County Animal Control Animal Technician Amanda Rodriguez spends a few loving moments with one of the dogs housed at the animal control shelter at the Alpena County Fairgrounds on Monday.

ALPENA — Alpena County Sheriff Erik Smith confirmed on Monday that the county has decided to terminate Michelle Reid, the county’s long-time animal control officer.

Smith said he could not comment or elaborate on why Reid was dismissed.

He said current staff and volunteers will run the shelter at the Alpena County Fairgrounds and business will continue as normal. He joined Undersheriff Cash Kroll, County Administrator Jesse Osmer, and commissioner John Kozlowski at the Alpena County Animal Control shelter Monday afternoon to talk to staff and volunteers.

Smith said all of the animals at the shelter are accounted for and are healthy. He also said the rumor circulating Monday that the county intended to euthanize all of the animals at the shelter that aren’t being used as evidence is not true.

“It is going to be all hands on deck, but we are going to continue as normal,” Smith said. “I have faith in the staff to keep things going. The shelter does have a foster program, but right now, we have not taken any animals out. It is operating as normal.

Michelle Ried, who has been employed by the Alpena County Sheriff’s Office for years and handled the county’s animal control responsibilities. It is required by law for a county to provide animal control services.

Smith did not say what the animal control programs’ next steps will be but he said the plan now is to keep the shelter open and to continue to provide care for the animals, some of which are being used as evidence in local crimes.

“Right now, it is too early to tell what’s next, but we’ll work with the board of commissioners and the staff and our intent is to keep the shelter and we still need animal control in our county, so the plan is to keep it running as normal,” Smith said.

Over the last several years, Alpena County has been forced to make some cuts to the sheriff’s office to help balance the budget that was at one point more than a million in the red.

Smith said Reid’s release was not due to finances or the department needing to make more cuts to its budget.

“It has nothing to do with anything like that,” he said.

Reid declined to comment on her termination, but she said that she has full faith in the shelter’s staff and the volunteers to care for the animals and make sure they remain safe and healthy.