A dangerous environment inside the drop Animals were held inside the drop site and picked up by Rutherford County animal control officers at various times during the day. Some animals spent eight to twelve hours inside the drop while temperatures soared to more than 100 degrees in the summer and plummeted in the winter. Frequently, dogs and cats were dropped into the same bunker. NO real provisions were made to protect smaller animals from larger animals or to protect cats from dogs. One Humane Society Official of Warren County, Tennessee, observed that possums, squirrels, and snakes were dropped in with domestic animals.
Warren County continues to resist the use of drop bins on the grounds that they are inhumane.
No protective measures assured that animals trapped inside the bunkers would not fall prey to abusive humans who might drop cats in with dogs, or drop live firecrackers, ignited matches, pieces of meat or other materials into the bunker. Small animals such as kittens, puppies, and older dogs fared worse. Because they were particularly fragile, these animals sometimes suffered broken necks, broken legs, or other injuries sustained from the initial fall into the holding bunker. Before the current renovations were begun, a prominent resident of the county acknowledged in a local newspaper that everyone knew the drop was a problem. The stench coming from the site prompted local citizens to avoid nearby highways.