Stray dog rescue stations need us to work hard together

By now, the dogs are barking or whimpering in that way they have when all around them is completely unfamiliar.
Employees of the Franklin County Department of Animal Care and Control are themselves probably just getting used to the fancy new digs on Tamarack Boulevard.
The $18-million, 48,350-square-foot Franklin County Animal Care and Control Dog Shelter and Adoption Center had a grand opening Oct. 3.The structure, located on what had been the parking lot of the former Northland Mall, is split between the department’s two main functions, the adoption side of things and dealing with strays or canines being relinquished by their owners.

The adoption and pre-adoption wing will feature computer stations in the entryway where people can fill out applications or visit the website of the department to obtain information about the dogs that are available. This side of the operation, according to a fact sheet provided by Smith, has 89 caged dog runs, 35 “real life rooms” which offer somewhat more homelike settings for housebroken dogs or those that are especially stressed, four “get-acquainted rooms” where people can meet their potential pets, five “featured dog rooms” for animals that have been at the shelter for a while, four puppy pens and a small dog room with flexible space.

The dogs were moved over the weekend from the decrepit old shelter on Alum Creek Drive to the new facility, doubtless providing a background noise of yips and yelps and growls and groans to a place that was eerily quiet during a media tour late last week.
“What a difference,” commented Franklin County commissioner Paula Brooks. “Isn’t it great? The contrast between the old shelter and this shelter is amazing.”
“We as the staff are very pleased with the building,” said Joe Rock, county dog warden and director of the department.
“This is going to be a fun place to work,” offered Animal Care and Control community relations director Susan Smith.

The stray and relinquished section of the building has 161 caged dog runs, 22 smaller cages and four puppy pens. It also contains a night drop area where people giving up their dogs after hours may place the animals in cages that lock after they are closed. This is intended to offer people worried about paying fines or fees an option to just turning the animals loose, Rock said.
Department officials are still trying to decide if the door to this area will be left open all the time or if it will be locked and someone on duty would have to buzz people in, the director added.

“We want to be neighbors in the community,” Rock said. “This room will get a lot of use.”
“The Northland community is thrilled that we’re moving into the neighborhood,” Brooks commented.
“We’re excited about it, not only because it represents another piece of the puzzle of Northland Village but also because it’s a piece of the puzzle that’s going to bring people to our neighborhood,” Northland Community Council president Dave Paul said. “We’re very pleased that they chose the Northland area to do this,” he added. “We feel it will give people a very good impression of the neighborhood.”A corridor off the adoption entrance leads to a 1,300-square-foot multipurpose community room that will be used for court-mandated classes for dog owners who have committed one offense or another. The space will also be available to civic and community organizations for meetings.