ANDERSON — A place once regarded by local animal activists as a kill shelter is finally gaining approval from those who criticized its practices.

Under new direction, the Anderson Animal Care and Control shelter has been receiving something from the local community that it hasn’t seen in years - praise.

Susan Frye, who runs a local pit bull rescue, says that prior to 2008, the shelter was not making a sufficient effort to find homes for homeless pets who passed through its doors.

“The emphasis was to get them in, house them for the necessary hold time, and euthanize them,” Frye said.

Rhonda Estes of the Madison County Humane Society said her organization routinely saved animals from the high rate of euthanasia at the city shelter.

“I was there just about every day, every other day,” Estes said, “trying to pull animals out of there to save them back then.”

In January 2008, newly elected Mayor Kris Ockomon ousted Larry Davis, the shelter’s director of 20 years, amid concerns over the shelter’s reputation.

Davis was replaced by local bus driver Larry Russell.

“There’s been a dark cloud over the animal shelter for a long time,” Ockomon said at the time of Russell’s appointment.

That ominous cloud, according to Frye, included the inhumane treatment of animals. “The idea of how to clean a kennel was to hose it down with cold water with a dog standing in it,” she said.

Amy Williams, who volunteered at the shelter six years ago, said she witnessed the cleaning practice.

“The dogs would try to huddle up in the corner of the cage while they were being sprayed,” Williams said. “I hated that. The animals would be scared to death and huddled in the corner. It happened every day, and we were there a couple days a week.”

Davis has denied that shelter workers hosed cages with animals inside. He is currently suing the city for wrongful termination.

Four directors and counting

Months after taking over for Davis, Russell resigned under public pressure following in incident in which 28 animals were euthanized, including one on hold for a rescue group.