Macon-Bibb’s new Animal Welfare Center (4214 Fulton Mill Road) officially opened to the public after a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony on Friday, March 20. Speaking at the event were Mayor Robert Reichert, Commissioners Larry Schlesinger and Scotty Shepherd, SPLOST Advisory Committee Chairman Jeffery Monroe, Steven Adams with the Macon-Bibb County Industrial Authority, and Animal Welfare Joint Task Force Chairman William Fickling. Construction of the new Center was made possible with funds from the voter-approved Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST).
To see pictures from the Ribbon Cutting and of the inside of the building, click here.
“The beautiful facility we see here today was born of a desire for more humane treatment of the companion animals and pets of Macon-Bibb County,” Fickling told the audience of animal advocates, department heads, and media. “Too often in our community we see unwanted pets roaming the streets uncared for, unfed, and unloved. Their only hope of salvation lies here.”
In recent weeks, staff have worked with animal advocacy and adoption organizations on a series of events to prepare the Center to open, celebrate its opening and the community’s support, and get all of the animals in the old Center adopted.
“We could not have made this happen without the work of Shane Smith, Central Georgia Cares, and all of the volunteers that gave their time and resources the past two months,” says Assistant County Manager Steve Layson.
Since early February, volunteers have been pushing to get every animal at the old facility adopted or placed with a rescue group. More than 140 dogs and cats have found new homes, and the last animal in the shelter will be headed to its new home on Tuesday, March 24.
On February 28, local volunteers held a “Fur Baby Shower” for the new Center. More than 300 people came by to see the new shelter and donate supplies that are used on a regular basis or for the office, including food, treats, chew toys, cotton swabs, blankets, towels, and more. If they couldn’t come to come to the event, items were dropped off at Tailspin on Mulberry Street, Ocmulgee Traders on Poplar Street, or Georgia Public Broadcasting on Linden Avenue.
To see the animals needed a home and to get updated on adoption events,
follow the Animal Welfare Department on Facebook.
About the new Animal Welfare Center
The construction of the new Animal Welfare Center is funded with approximately $3.5 million from the voter-approved Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST). Its design is more than double the size of the current Center and will help encourage more adoptions by separating that area from the intake entrance. Its location on Fulton Mill Road is also a much more desirable area, featuring woods and grassy areas where the animals can be walked and kept healthy. The current Center, by contrast, is in a small, cramped building near the landfill.