Work on an animal shelter for Pike County could begin in mid-January, the president of Pike Animal League and Shelter Rescue said Tuesday.
“We have been talking with several contractors and we should be getting bids soon,” said PALS President Gay Austin.
Speaking to the McComb Lions Club, Austin said the shelter will be smaller than the 5,000-square-foot facility that was originally planned eight years ago.
“We wish we could have built an animal shelter eight years ago, but we weren’t ready,” she said, adding that the organization has the money to build a smaller, 2,000-square-foot shelter.
“We should be able to build it for about $150,000,”Austin said.
She said the redesigned shelter will have 24 kennels plus an operating room for spaying and neutering dogs and cats.
“The local veterinarians have been volunteering their time to help us and will continue to volunteer at the shelter,” she said.
Austin said that calls about stray animals have been increasing over the years, adding that once the shelter opens, “We’ll be full in a week.”
She said the shelter will not be “a retirement center for dogs where they can lay out their remaining years.”
“We plan to get the animals spayed and neutered and adopted nationwide,” she said.
“It’s taken us a while, but we have a plan and we’re moving forward,” Austin said.
Autsin and her husband Will are matching all donations to PALS’ building fund through Dec. 31.
The shelter will go up at a 2.95-acre lot on the corner of Marks and Old Industrial roads, which the county deeded to PALS.
The organization’s recent Toasts and Tails fundraiser added considerably to that amount, with early estimates hovering around $8,000 or $9,000 — to be doubled after the Austins chip in their pledged match.
