Ribbon-cutting held for new Fulton animal shelter

LifeLine seeks to adopt out 400 dogs before the new shelter opens, reducing the number that need to move and freeing room for future intakes, said county spokeswoman Regina Waller said.

LifeLine is offering $25 adoptions through November, with free adoptions Nov. 24-27. Remaining animals are expected to move to the new shelter Nov. 29, and the Midtown Atlanta overflow shelter will close at the end of Nov. 30, according to LifeLine.

The new shelter is a last hurrah for three county officials: Matt Kallmyer, director of Emergency Management, which includes animal services; Alton Adams, county chief operating officer for Justice, Public Safety & Technology; and Bill Mason, facilities program manager.

Kallmyer retired Nov. 3 but was present Thursday. Mason planned to retire in September but stayed on to complete the shelter, Adams said. And Adams himself will retire soon, County Manager Dick Anderson announced.

County Commission Chair Robb Pitts said the new building, designed to promote adoption, shows the county is committed to providing care for animals “above and beyond” what is legally required. It has already attracted visiting officials from across Georgia and beyond, he said.

“I say all the time that this is not only the finest facility in the United States, but I believe it’s the best in the world,” Pitts said.

The new shelter is one element of the county’s Renew The District plan to revitalize Fulton Industrial Boulevard, he said. Other parts include a nearby public safety training center, now in planning stages; upgraded infrastructure and other ways of attracting commercial investment; and the ongoing $100 million modernization of Fulton County Executive Airport.

Commissioners voted unanimously Nov. 1 to renew LifeLine’s contract to run the shelter for another year, with four annual renewal options. The new contract roughly doubles county funding to LifeLine, to $9 million; as animal control needs grew and the old shelter deteriorated, LifeLine subsidized Fulton animal care with donations.

The shelter brings needed jobs and access to services to the district, Commissioner Khadijah Abdur-Rahman said.

Tours of the new building were offered Thursday. It’s complete but not all equipment has been installed yet.

The new facility features dog runs, which the old shelter lacks; an elaborate cat living area; a full-service veterinary clinic that will offer low-cost spay/neuter service and other care; separately ventilated holding areas for sick animals; a garage where animal control trucks can securely unload animals; and an adjacent livestock barn and paddock.

Next to the building’s main entrance is a mural by artist Rory “Catlanta” Hawkins. It’s a spot for people to take a first picture with their newly adopted pets, he said.

The 50,000-square-foot shelter is roughly three times the size of the old one. On 44 acres, it’s designed to hold 376 dogs, 99 cats, a dozen small animals, up to 18 chickens and a half-dozen livestock. The county expects to take in about 8,000 animals a year, and about 6,500 of those will be dogs.

Kallmyer has said the “survival rate” before LifeLine took over was only 39%. But LifeLine’s commitment to operating a “no-kill” shelter means more than 90% of animals leave alive. Usually only dangerous or very sick animals are euthanized, but in recent months the shelter has been so packed that otherwise healthy dogs have sometimes been put down due to lack of space. LifeLine opened a second dog shelter in Midtown Atlanta, but it quickly filled to capacity too.

Adams said commissioners voted to build a bigger, better shelter in November 2019, but the project halted for two years even as construction costs rose. The new shelter’s cost grew from $32.6 million then to $40 million now.

“Like many plans that started five years ago, COVID changed everything,” he said.

Animals available for adoption or fostering can be seen at www.fultonanimalservices.com or www.lifelineanimal.org, or by going to the following locations: