New Fayette County Animal Shelter 'huge improvement,' officials say

FAYETTE COUNTY, Ga. - Fayette County officials cut the ribbon on a new larger animal shelter they hope will address the challenges of the old one. 

The new Fayette County Animal Shelter is a huge improvement, officials say, over the aging and smaller building that for years had been the subject of community concerns.

At 6,000 square feet, the shelter increases the space for both cats and dogs.

Space is everything for animal shelters; more space means longer stays and a better chance for adoption rather than euthanasia.

For dogs, the new shelter increases the number of runs from 16 to 32 for healthy adoptable canines. And drastically improves the space for incoming dogs that must be held for a period of time for assessment.

Fayette County earned the designation of no-kill shelter which requires a live-release rate of at least 90%. Fayette County says it has maintained a rate of up to 98% live release. They say that means that if the animal is not sick or aggressive, it is almost always adopted or released to a rescue group.

The shelter also boasts a new grooming room that will help staff get the animals clean and good smelling and also improve their adoption success.