Savannah Chatham Metro Animal Control gets a much-needed facelift

CC-by-SA-2.5 ~ Nhandler   "Dog at a shelter waiting to go to a new home"

The Savannah Chatham Metro Animal Control sits directly behind the Humane Society for Greater Savannah but they are completely different from them. The Animal control is city and county funded and collects animals that are violating the city and county ordinances or strays that are found. The Humane Society for Greater Savannah takes in pets that people can no longer take care of or takes some of the death-row pets from the Animal Control facility. Animal Control right now can only keep dogs or cats for a maximum of five days before either giving the animal to a rescue shelter or the animal will have to be euthanized.

The Savannah Chatham Metro Animal Control is going thru a new facelift by building a new facility that will accommodate up to three times the number of animals and it will also be able to lengthen the number days the animal is kept. This will allow the Animal Control to hopefully extend their holding times long enough to have the rightful owners find their beloved pets. The Animal Control is there to do their job but they just want a happy ending like the rest of us. They do not like to put down any animal, but when their space was so limited their hands were tied.

The new facility is projected for completion by the end of May this year. It will have administrative offices and a kennel with a medical facility and an exam room. It will provide temperature controlled floors for the dogs, concrete dividers between kennels and an automatic watering system in the dog runs. There will be improved storage, better ventilation, and an isolation area for bite cases that need to be quarantined. This will help with the growing numbers the Animal Control sees in a year. Just last year they had over 2,300 dogs, almost 2,800 cats and over 370 wildlife animals.

 Local volunteers have come together to help with daily tasks (walking the dogs, socializing the animals, cleaning the facility, etc.) are also taking on another role; fundraising. They are helping this new facility by getting donations to help with the opening. They have already received 25 pet beds at their first fundraiser. They are now getting ready to host a “Day of the Dog” event downtown.
 

Click the paw print for the “Pet Pages” blog, a place for the authors’ personal notes.

For more articles on a national level about dog fighting, cockfighting, puppy mills and other forms of pet abuse, please check out my other Examiner.com page. National Pet Advocacy Examiner.

Get it FIRST by SUBSCRIBING to this page. We do not share your email address with anyone. Please subscribe above at the "Subscribe" button. Please feel free to contact me if you have a question or comment at dstapleton2003@comcast.net . Thank you.