Doors open at new Macon-Bibb animal shelter

The new Macon-Bibb County Animal Welfare Center is officially open.

The center at 4214 Fulton Mill Road opened Friday afternoon with a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by about 60 people, most of them involved in working on or supporting the new shelter.

“A lot of people here have been waiting a mighty long time for today to come around,” Mayor Robert Reichert said.

He and other speakers acknowledged many individuals and groups put years of work into promoting, planning and building the new shelter.

The old shelter at 1010 11th St., built in 1978, is now “dilapidated and inadequate” and in a bad location next to the landfill, Reichert said. The community recognized the need to replace it, he said.

The Macon-Bibb County Industrial Authority had a 100-acre tract for future industrial development and carved off 10 acres for the shelter site, Reichert said.

The new shelter was built with $3 million allocated in the 2011 special purpose local option sales tax, plus $345,000 that Macon-Bibb commissioners later allocated to it. Even after that, Animal Welfare and associated volunteer groups asked for donations of furniture, office supplies, pet gear and playthings.

The new shelter will hold up to 80 dogs and 40 cats, as opposed to the 60 dogs and 20 cats that could be held in the old one. The old shelter, built in 1978, is 4,200 square feet; the new one is 11,000, including much better and larger facilities, including an adoption room and surgery and isolation areas.

Bill Fickling, chairman of the Macon-Bibb animal welfare task force, said pressure for a new shelter grew from a desire for more humane treatment of animals.

“We thank our leaders profusely for delivering on their promise to us,” he said.

Every day pets are abandoned or treated cruelly, Fickling said.

“Their only hope of salvation lies here,” he said.

But Animal Welfare staff need help, he said: volunteers to walk, groom and foster the animals, or to provide veterinary care and owner education. Anyone willing should contact the shelter or one of the various animal rescue groups, Fickling said.

Sonja Adams, interim director of Animal Welfare, said the new facility already has about 50 animals in it, some of them ready for adoption. There are only a couple of dogs left in the old building, which will close when they’re removed, she said.

Almost all the department’s staff is moved into the new facility and hope for a bright future, Adams said.

“We’re excited to be here,” she said.

To contact writer Jim Gaines, call 744-4489.

This story was originally published March 20, 2015 at 3:16 PM with the headline "Doors open at new Macon-Bibb animal shelter ."