Lorie Thompson of Cedarville has met the Michigan Department of Agriculture's training requirements for becoming an animal control officer, and is working at the Mackinac County Animal Shelter full time.

The Mackinac County Board of Commissioners hired Ms. Thompson December 30, but at that time she was not certified by the Department of Agriculture. Her qualifications, which included 30 years of experience working in a variety of roles with animals, were submitted to the department for review. In the meantime, the Mackinac County Sheriff's Office responded to emergency animal complaints, while Ms. Thompson helped at the shelter.

On February 3, the department notified the county it had reviewed Ms. Thompson's training and found it met the required 100 hours of training. Ms. Thompson has since been active as the county's animal control officer.