Fulton OKs $3.6M contract with animal shelter manager

The Fulton County Commission agreed Wednesday to a $3.6 million renewal contract with LifeLine Animal Project, a nonprofit that operates the county shelters. This comes a month after commissioners agreed to spend $32.5 million building a new animal shelter.

“We are grateful for the opportunity to serve the pets and people of Fulton County for another year. With the plans for the new shelter getting underway, 2020 will usher in a brighter future for Fulton County’s homeless animals,” LifeLine spokeswoman Karen Hirsch wrote in an email Wednesday.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported in May that there were eight dogs to a kennel and, with no space designed for cats, felines stacked in a separate trailer. Robb Pitts, the chairman of the Fulton County commission, said then that the Fulton shelter looked "like a third- or fourth-world facility."

READ | Heartwarming free pet adoptions stem from stark reality in shelters

The Fulton shelter, built in 1978, was designed to house no more than 120 animals. But during the busy season in mid-June, Hirsch said then, they had about 380 dogs and cats at one time.

From January to October this year, LifeLine has taken in about 7,250 animals — including about 5,450 dogs, 1,700 cats and 101 others like horses, pigs and guinea pigs.

Because the shelter is a public entity, it cannot turn away people who want to drop off animals unlike private shelters that can limit intake.

Hirsch said LifeLine took over in 2013 with a vow to increase adoptions and lower euthanasia rates. At the time, the county saved 39% of animals that came in.

READ | Animal program for Fulton, DeKalb opening new shelter, leaving Avondale

LifeLine’s save rate for from January to October this year was 88.5 percent. The national no-kill standard is 90 percent, which accounts for 10% of animals who arrive ill, from court cases or “too aggressive to rehabilitate,” Hirsch said.

She said the shelter is always having to run specials because they are overflowing with furry friends.

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Fulton's new building is expected to be 50,000 square feet — which is bigger than a large supermarket — with an extra 13,200 square feet of outdoor covered space and more uncovered yards, the AJC previously reported. It will be built to house 376 dogs, 99 cats and as many as 18 chickens or other livestock.

The new building will be near the Fulton County Airport. Commissioners have said it will be funded by bonds.

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