In session Tuesday morning, the Brownwood City Council heard from Braston Gray who, in December, was named the new director at the Corinne T. Smith Animal Center.  Gray was born and raised in Brownwood and moved to Lubbock where he worked for Lubbock Animal Services.  Gray was a member of the team that facilitated the transition of Lubbock Animal Services from a shelter with a high euthanasia rate to one that now utilizes public education, rescue partners and other innovations to achieve a life release rate that many Lubbock residents thought impossible only a few years ago.

Gray said he was able to come to Brownwood and hit the ground running.

“We’re completely open to the public now so when people need to drop off stray animals they’re more than welcome to do so, and I think that’s helped us and helped them out a lot. Our adoption rates are very incredible right now as well and we’re working on getting a lot of animals out to rescue. Sometime this week we’ve got six going off to New Jersey, so that’s very incredible for us.”

Gray addressed the council in regard to the increase in the animal shelter budget as well.

“I don’t know who put that together and made all those decisions, but it has not gone unnoticed and I can’t thank everyone enough for that,” Gray said. “Thank you to everyone here for putting that together for us. It’s absolutely incredible.”

“I want to thank everybody for allowing me the opportunity to run the shelter and I hope if anybody has some time they come out and say hi to us and see our operation,” Gray said. “I think you’d be very happy with it.”