New Fulton County animal shelter to open in fall, will house over 350 pets

FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — Hundreds of pets up for adoption will soon have a new, temporary, home in Fulton County.

As work continues on a brand new state-of-the-art animal services facility the county celebrated a “topping out” ceremony.

The signing of the last steel beam for Fulton County’s new $40 million, 50,000-square-foot facility included a paw print.

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“It was only built to house 80 dogs, and right now we have over 360,” Heather Friedman, Lifeline Chief Marketing Officer said.

The new facility can house that many and more. It also will include a new clinic, maternity ward, three surgery tables, plenty of runs, puppy rooms, and play yards.

On Friday, elected leaders and officials from Lifeline, who operates animal services in Fulton County, got a hard hat tour of the progress.

“It’s emotional, it really is. It’s a long time coming,” Aubrey Shoemaker, Fulton County Shelter Director told Channel 2 Action News.

Shoemaker calls this a big victory after years of hard work to get a new facility and more space that’s desperately needed.

“It means so much to our staff and the community. I think the most important thing is we want to get these pets into homes. We know that’s where they’re supposed to be,” she said.

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This new facility is built to accommodate those adoptions and ultimately save animals’ lives.

Officials told Channel 2 Action News there will be a big push in the fall to clear the shelter before the big move.

“We want to make sure we find as many homes as possible so we can start fresh in this location. Because every day 20-40 animals are coming in so the need for space is great.” Friedman told Channel 2 Action News.

The goal is to open the facility by late November.

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