Marion County Animal Shelter seeks donations as leaders function to fund new shelter

MARION COUNTY, S.C. (WMBF) – When you generate up to the Marion County Animal Shelter, you are satisfied with a symphony of barks from dozens of canines, hoping they will be the future a single to obtain a for good home.

WMBF News took a trip to the Marion County Animal Shelter positioned on the properly named Cat and Dog Court in Mullins just after social media posts swirled about poor situations at the shelter. But we needed to acquire a appear for ourselves.

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On a Wednesday afternoon, we observed employees and volunteers who are performing anything they can to make certain cats and puppies there have a very good life though they hold out for their adoption working day.

Bree Courcy confirmed WMBF Information about the animal shelter and called just about every animal by name though rattling off facts about the canines and cats who are living there.

There are two places where by the pet dogs are saved. They both remain within a garage-kind of creating or an outside fenced space where virtually every single canine has its own cage and their possess bed which is lifted off the floor so they have a dry put to slumber in circumstance of rain. Their puppy bowls are whole of foodstuff and h2o. And just about every solitary 1 greets you with a bark and significant smile on their facial area.

The pet dogs are also offered time in the course of the day to run all around outside the house of their cages and get pleasure from the sunshine.

Their cat place is at the moment undergoing renovations. But for now, the cats are stored up coming to the place of work the place some lounge around in their cat beds although others rub towards the cage in hopes of obtaining their head scratched from a likely adopter.

The recurring topic from Courcy: “We are undertaking the finest we can with what we have, but we really like each and every animal here.”

The Shelter’s Potential

Marion County took around the functions of the animal shelter in January 2015 right after terminating a partnership with Paws to the Rescue.

Then in May possibly 2016, Anderson Brothers Financial institution donated its setting up at 501 E. McIntyre Avenue to the county for the foreseeable future use by the Marion County Animal Shelter.

WMBF News spoke with South Carolina condition. Sen. Kent Williams who claimed renovating the making for the animal shelter has constantly been a priority. But he spelled out that over the course of almost six yrs, some other county challenges have been moved up the precedence checklist, this sort of as dealing with Hurricanes Matthew and Florence.

All through a county council assembly on Feb. 25, 2021, County Administrator Tim Harper introduced the county is committing $250,000 for renovations on the making. He included that the county is doing work with Jackson & Sims Architect on the undertaking.

Harper advised WMBF Information in an e mail that he is ready on finals designs from Jackson and Sims.

Even though the approximated expenses for the job stand at $1.2 million, each Harper and Williams reported they are checking out more funding resources and grants to get the renovations underway.

Williams explained he is confident that progress will be created on the new shelter.

How You Can Support Marion County Animal Shelter

Courcy mentioned if individuals aren’t able to undertake an animal but want to assistance, any donation is welcomed at the Marion County Animal Shelter, whether that is donating your time, provides or income.

The shelter just has a few paid out workers: the director, a full-time staff and a component-time staff. It presently has about 10 energetic volunteers, which consist of people who assistance to transport puppies and cats to other rescues, who support with canine coaching and many others who clean up and stroll the canines.

She additional that the shelter has utilized to turn out to be a 501c3 in hopes of attracting even bigger donors for the shelter.

In the meantime, the shelter depends closely on those people who donate through its Amazon Want Lists or those people who arrive by the shelter and fall off donations.

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Courcy added that their Fb web page is usually updated with animals that are obtainable for adoption.

She stated each and every small little bit helps, even if you just have an hour and want to just take a canine for a wander, the Marion County Animal Shelter will welcome you.

WMBF News will be following the developments on the new animal shelter and any money the county receives for renovations.

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