Animal shelter officially open for business
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Photos by Christa Jennings
By Christa Jennings
Senior Staff Writer
The Coosa County Animal Shelter enjoyed a successful open house last Saturday prior to officially opening for business Monday, January 30.
Approximately 80 people attended the open house, enjoying refreshments and a silent auction while touring the facilities.
Elected officials who attended the event were District 5 County Commissioner Lamar Daugherty, District 1 County Commissioner John Forbus, Revenue Commissioner Debra Lamberth, Sheriff Michael Howell, Rockford Mayor Scott White, Kellyton Councilmember Gwen Rich, Kellyton Councilmember Missy Kohls, and Board of Education member Sharon Massie.
Other representatives in attendance were County Administrator Amy Gilliland and Kellyton Town Clerk Karen Keel.
During his speech prior to the ribbon cutting ceremony, Operations Manager Dennis Hill stated that when they first began pursuing this endeavor a little more than a year ago, he was not sure if they would even have an animal shelter. That was until the Town of Kellyton jumped in first with a $5,000 donation.
The towns of Rockford and Goodwater then followed suit, with each also donating $5,000 to the shelter. Hill said he then went back to the County Commission for some financial support once all three municipalities had pledged their donations.
Thanks to those, as well as the numerous donations from individuals and businesses, the county’s much anticipated animal shelter finally came to fruition.
The shelter is located next to the Stewartville Water Authority in the old fire department facility, a building that Hill said had been vacant for 20 years.
He said they were “extremely happy” that Fire Chief Wendell Weathers and the Stewartville Volunteer Fire Department donated the building to the shelter at a rate of $1 per year. He added that the county commissioner for that area, Daugherty, found the building for them.
During his speech Saturday Hill stated, “With a lot of work and a lot of support from all of you – the last three weeks to a month have been just phenomenal.”
He mentioned how grateful they are for the outpouring of support. He stated that over the last few weeks they were there at night working on the building and that people would stop by asking if they needed dog food, dropping off cat food and offering support.
“It’s just crazy the kind of support we’re getting,” Hill said. “That’s what it’s going to take from here on out because there’s no federal funding for animal shelters. There’s no state funding for animal shelters. The funding for this is coming from the county level and from the personal level from individuals like all of us.”
Hill also recognized some key volunteers who helped with the building, getting it ready for use as the animal shelter. Those included Gordon and Jim Gogan, Janet Gogan, J.M. and Terrie Cobb, Johnny White, Scott Myers, Jesse Leonard, eight students from Central High School, and Ronnie Joiner, who is also District 4 county commissioner.
“Ronnie [Joiner] donated so much to this shelter as far as supplies – probably $3,000 or $4,000 worth of supplies – and he laid 1,388 blocks down here in the shelter,” Hill said.
Hill also recognized individuals who recently donated items for the building. Those were Brandon Adams with Ebsco for the furniture, Boothe Appliance for the refrigerator and Tim McDonald for the cabinets in the kitchen area.
Other donors Hill recognized were Josh Culver with J&J Pest Away for donating one year of pest control for the shelter, Tractor Supply for donating 200 pounds of dog food and for helping in the future, Dollar General, Piggly Wiggly in Goodwater, Oak Grove Feed & Seed, David Carter for donating a water heater, and Bill Allen and Christy Lindsey for donating a washer and dryer, as well as monetary donations.
Hill also credited an anonymous donor in Coosa County for donating the shelter’s outside kennels. He said they also have extra outside kennels that will be available for those fostering dogs with the shelter.
He also mentioned that PetSense in Sylacauga will be helping out the shelter going forward, as it will assist with taking cats from the shelter and helping to get them adopted.
Hill also thanked the many individuals who have donated supplies or given monetary donations to help the shelter.
“All of you did something here in Coosa County,” he stated.
Also in his speech, Hill recognized the national organization Best Friends, Sylacauga Animal Shelter and Feral Dogs of Avondale Mills for their assistance.
He added that they will be working with Feral Dogs of Avondale Mills on the spay and neuter program. He said that they hope to “really kick that off” in about two months and that they will be buying discounted rate vouchers from the clinic and selling those at the shelter.
“We’re really going to try to nip it in the bud, as Barney Fife would say, with spay and neuter so that we’re not going to be overcrowded,” Hill stated.
Hill also recognized Dr. Chad Baxley for his assistance and mentioned that he will be a great help going forward, keeping the animals healthy and assisting the shelter. He said that Baxley also has “big plans” with Central High School to partner with educational things with the students so that “the young people who will be owners of the dogs later on know how to keep a dog up or cat up responsibly.”
Hill also thanked Chuck Barnett for donating three slow cookers full of chili for the shelter’s open house.
The Art Association of Central Alabama also donated numerous pieces of art to the shelter for its silent auction that was held Saturday in conjunction with the open house. Between the sales of T-shirts and the silent auction, the shelter raised $3,000 Saturday.
Hill also recognized their directors and staff during the event. Those include him as operations manager, Baxley as the health director, Lisa Fuller as a director, Debbie Hill as communications director, Joy Morris as volunteer coordinator, Janet Gogan as the foster/rescue coordinator, and Abigail Hyatt as the youth representative.
Additionally, Hill mentioned that the county will now also have an animal control officer, or officers, since there is an animal shelter within the county.
“Not only have you got your first animal shelter, but you’ve got animal control officers,” he said Saturday. “We don’t know exactly who they are. I don’t know if they know exactly who they are, but Sheriff Howell is here, and he has committed his Sheriff’s Office to animal control. The animal control is separate from animal shelters. They’re here to help the strays on the roads and if you have issues with a neighbor’s dog on your property and you don’t want them on your property, they’ll help resolve that kind of stuff. We are the drop-off point for the animal control. We work together. We thank Sheriff Howell for that.”
The Coosa County Animal Shelter is a no-kill 501(c)3 non-profit organization, meaning that any donations made are tax deductible. The shelter is also run completely by volunteers and to date has been 100% volunteer based, Hill said.
The shelter has 17 kennels available for housing dogs and three cat cages available, as well as a puppy area.
As of Tuesday the shelter only had one resident, a pregnant chocolate lab approximately 2 years old who was found as a stray in Stewartville. The dog, whom the shelter named Scarlet, is on a mandatory 7-day stray hold, and after that she will be looking for a foster or permanent home.
If she is not reclaimed by her owners, then once weaned her puppies will also need foster or permanent homes.
The adoption fees for the Coosa County Animal Shelter are $75 for cats and $90 for dogs, and those rates include shots and spay or neuter. In the future discount spay and neuter vouchers will also be available for purchase at the shelter for those needing to get their current pets spayed or neutered.
The fee for owner release to the shelter is $20, and an owner release of a litter of puppies is $35. There is no fee for strays.
Those needing to bring in animals are asked to call the shelter for an appointment. Also if it is a stray or owner surrender, the individual will need to provide proof of residency for Coosa County, such as a power bill or driver’s license.
Many in attendance at the open house commented on how nice the facility is and how happy they are that the county finally has this much needed asset.
“The open house was a huge success, and it was great to see so many people there to support this much needed facility,” County Administrator Amy Gilliland said. “I hope that citizens will continue to support the Coosa County Animal Shelter by volunteering their time, donating dog and cat food and kitty litter. I am proud of our commissioners for donating their time and designating grant funds to help with the start-up of the shelter.”
Rockford Mayor Scott White stated, “The animal shelter open house was outstanding, from the facility itself to the amount of attendees in attendance, it was well represented. This is a perfect example of what community means – from the start a need was seen by two citizens who approached several agencies asking for support, a building was secured, and many donors and agencies near and far stepped in to make it happen. I’d like to thank everyone who played a part in seeing this through. In Coosa when money doesn’t grow on trees, it takes coming together to do whatever we can to see it to fruition. Best wishes to the Coosa County Animal Shelter staff.”
The animal shelter will continue to gratefully accept monetary donations and donations of supplies, as well as help from volunteers in various capacities. Currently the shelter’s biggest needs are puppy food and assorted cleaning supplies, including bottles of alcohol.
The Coosa County Animal Shelter is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday. The shelter can be reached at 256-369-1222, and individuals can follow its Facebook page for updates.