COVINGTON, Ga. — Newton County Animal Services officially opened its expanded and renovated shelter Dec. 9 that doubled its space and seeks to improve the experience for those considering adopting a pet.
The county department hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the sales tax-funded project that included an addition and renovation to the 40-year-old original building on Lower River Road near Porterdale.
About 4,000 square feet was included in the addition and gives it a total of more than 8,900 square feet of new and renovated space, said program manager Jeff Prine of Monroe-based Ascension Program Management.
County government staff members and elected officials were among those attending today’s ceremony, led by County Chairman Marcello Banes.
County Manager Lloyd Kerr said the opening of the new facility marks “a great day” for the county’s efforts to care for and find homes for stray animals.
“We’ve made a quantum leap forward, I think, in the way we treat our animals in the county,” Kerr said. “This is a wonderful facility.”
Proceeds of a 2017 Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax and $100,000 from an anonymous donor were used to fund the $1.2 million project, Kerr said.
Newton County Animal Services director Cindy Wiemann said the addition created space for 24 large dog runs, eight small dog cages, four puppy pens, and 45 cat cages, Wiemann said.
It also allowed the animal services staff to provide better segregation of cats and dogs throughout the building; and create areas that allow potential adopters to have better access to the animals, Wiemann said.
She said the new construction will provide better ventilation for the building; make cleaning and maintenance faster and easier; create more quarantine space for sick animals; and allows the shelter to provide emergency space in situations when animals are discovered in illegal hoarding situations.
Covington veterinarian Dr. Kristian Shriver, who has assisted Animal Services since 1998, said the shelter is now overseeing the most adoptions of dogs and cats in 20 years.
He noted it also has been able to lower its animal euthanasia rate from around 90% to around 30%.
“That’s phenomenal,” Shriver said.
Wiemann thanked her staff, as well as county commissioners and county voters for approving the SPLOST that funded the project.
She said the shelter had been successful enough in finding homes for kittens in recent weeks that it was able to offer space to other counties after they ran out of room for cats in their shelters.
The county department employs eight full-time workers. Its shelter has found homes for an average of about 80 animals per month lately, officials said.
Wiemann has led the department since February 2018 and is active in such organizations as the Georgia Animal Control Association and National Animal Care and Control Association.
For more information about the shelter and Animal Services, call 770-786-9514; or visit https://www.co.newton.ga.us/154/Animal-Services or petfinder.com.
