Eager to demonstrate a heightened city commitment to animal control issues, Mayor Stephanie Terry has appointed longtime animal welfare advocate Missy Mosby to the newly created position of director of Evansville Animal Care & Control.
Mosby has spent 18 years on the City Council and is its longest-serving current member. She will resign her seat representing the Second Ward and begin as a full-time city employee Oct. 27. The position’s salary is $80,000. A Democratic party caucus will appoint someone to complete Mosby’s City Council term, which expires Dec. 31, 2027. A Democratic Party caucus to name her replacement is scheduled Oct. 29.
Over the years, Mosby, a real estate agent with F.C. Tucker Emge, has adopted 20 rescue dogs and five birds and helped find homes for more than 1,100 dogs and 120 cats. She also created nonprofit Buddy’s Promise to further rescue and adoption efforts. Mosby says Terry’s advertisement for the new city government role piqued her interest.
“I thought, ‘Why not me?’” Mosby told reporters gathered Oct. 6 in Terry’s office. “My heart, my passion is Evansville … And I’m an advocate for animals. I’ve been to the statehouse trying to get bills changed. We started the first animal abuse registry here in Evansville, and one of the first in Indiana. I worked closely with our (police) officers on that. It’s just another passion that I have, and it’s another great step for me to help the city and work with Mayor Terry.”
From its facility at 815 Uhlhorn St., EACC responds daily to public safety concerns regarding animals — those may include a dog bite, a traffic hazard, or an aggressive animal. Staff performs animal rescues, quarantines biting animals, addresses animal nuisance complaints, receives cruelty and neglect reports, and helps pick up, receive, and safely dispose of deceased animals. In 2024, EACC’s staff of seven received 7,927 run requests and brought in 3,050 dogs and cats, as well as a few other animals ranging from snakes to pot-bellied pigs. Animals also are available for adoption.
An uptick in concerns over animal welfare sparked Terry’s decision to host a town hall-style forum on Jan. 15. The well-attended event brought together EACC representatives, leaders of four local animal nonprofits, and many community members. Discussion topics included a need for more pet adoptions and spay/neuter procedures, as well as greater awareness of issues surrounding animals.
As a result, the city has implemented shorter hold times for animals, strengthened its shelter’s cleaning protocols, and added a foster-to-adopt model that reduces kennel crowding and speeds the adoption process. Mosby’s personal initiatives have aligned with the city’s efforts, and even led her to her new department: Through her “Give a Dog a Home” program, Mosby covers the adoption fee if her real estate clients adopt a local shelter dog or cat. If her clients aren’t ready to adopt, she has sponsored an adoption or reclaim in their honor at EACC. In August, Mosby joined other city council members in voting to create a community cat program and other measures to strengthen Evansville’s animal control ordinance.
“Missy’s public service experience and the passion she has for animal welfare are a nice marriage, in my opinion, and I think that will lend very nicely to the leadership that we need at Animal Care & Control,” Terry told reporters, adding that 15-20 applications were received for the new director position. “ I think Missy has a tremendous amount of connections and relationships in this community that are going to make a difference for us.”
City government’s animal control operations previously were under the Department of Transportation and Services. With this new alignment, EACC becomes a standalone department, with Mosby reporting directly to the mayor’s office.
Mosby, who was the City Council president in 2016 and 2017, says leaving the council will be “bittersweet,” but she’s eager to begin the new role. “It’s a great opportunity for me to continue to serve Evansville, and another passion of mine is serving animals,” she says.
