DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — A $4 million animal shelter expansion in DeKalb County is looking for more staff and more funding to help manage the needs of the county.
According to a recent statement posted by DeKalb County Animal Services, the ‘Pet Neighborhood’ expansion that opened in December is starting to see use but officials said due to its status as being separate from the main shelter, its needs are different.
“It’s a better setup for the dogs, but because it’s separate from the main shelter, it requires more staff and coordination,” Animal Services said in a statement.
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To meet the facility’s needs, DeKalb County Animal Services said “even though the County’s process to fund the additional staffing has not yet occurred, we’re moving forward with hiring now, at our own expense. It’s a real financial risk for us, but one we are taking to improve conditions for the animals.”
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When the facility opened in December, county officials said the 10 climate-controlled kennel buildings were each designed to house 12 dogs.
The buildings have indoor and outdoor access and the project was funded through a Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax.
Channel 2 Action News previously reported how the expanded shelter was opening while the main county shelter was housing roughly 600 animals, most of them dogs.
County officials told Channel 2’s Bryan Mims at the time that the shelter was only built to accommodate about 220 dogs comfortably, and that it usually houses at least twice that.
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