Now that September is here, life in Guilford County government is getting back to something remotely resembling normal, and one clue of that is that the county is holding a Guilford County Animal Services Advisory Board meeting on Thursday, Sept. 10.

That board was created to provide oversight of the Guilford County Animal Shelter and related services, as well as to hear input from the public on problems, concerns and other matters related to animal welfare in Guilford County.

The meeting, which was announced on Tuesday, Sept. 8, will be virtual, and the county is making it possible for citizens to watch. The meeting will be held using the MeetMe conference system platform. Hopefully, this virtual meeting will go better than some previous meetings the county has held that faced technological snafus.

Though citizens aren’t allowed to participate in person, they can watch the meeting by visiting the GoToWebinar platform via computer, tablet or smartphone at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7359544106619814159.

The agenda calls for the board to review and discuss Guilford County Animal Shelter operations during the pandemic as well as to address some other necessary business that’s been on hold.

It’s a very important time for Animal Services operations because the county is in the process of building a new animal shelter about a mile and a half from the current shelter at 4525 W. Wendover Ave. in Greensboro.

The coronavirus pandemic has had one very positive effect on the county’s animal shelter, bringing the animal population down. With a lot of people at home during the pandemic, many have chosen to select a fine, furry friend for companionship – at least temporarily. At one point this year, in fact, Guilford County Manager Marty Lawing informed the county commissioners that the shelter had practically been emptied out and only a handful of animals remained.