CHARLOTTE, N.C. — In a race against time, the Charlotte community helped move dozens of dogs out of its county shelter ahead of a final phase of major construction work. CMPD Animal Care and Control (ACC) spent weeks publicizing the upcoming overhaul of its adoption kennels, asking the public to adopt or foster the dogs in the affected section of the shelter by the end of the day before construction began. There were at least 47 kennels to clear by the deadline.
With the Friday 7 p.m. deadline looming, lines of fosters started forming out the shelter's front door Thursday. By Friday afternoon, the shelter announced the final six dogs needing to be placed in homes had found their safety.
"What an amazing day!" Melissa Knicely, Communications Director for CMPD ACC, said of the Thursday night turnout. "The past two days have been busy, but this afternoon was literally the biggest line I’ve seen us have in a very long time.”
While the shelter met its life-saving goal ahead of the start of construction Saturday, shelter officials said the fight for community support is not over. The facility will be running a nearly 50-kennel deficit for at least the next three weeks, during a time when kennel space is already tight and euthanizing for space is a tough reality.
Dozens of other dogs remain in other sections of the shelter or the satellite location on Toomey Avenue, and fostering or adopting any of them can also clear valuable kennel space.
Dogs available for adoption or fostering can be found here.
This last phase of construction is part of an overall project that has spanned roughly seven months so far. While the shelter has gone its 30 years without any expansion, even as Charlotte's population has doubled, the project will not add any kennels. Instead, it is meant to get CMPD ACC up to code.
A separate discussion over funding a new or expanded shelter could come this year. Those pushing for more resources have been attending city council meetings for months, urging city leaders to include more kennel space and staff and a full separation of animal services and the CMPD police department, allowing both agencies to focus on their respective priorities.
In September, Charlotte At-Large City Councilwoman Dimple Ajmera told WCNC Charlotte the city is working toward a long-term solution.
"City council invested $10 million to enhance and improve our existing facility, and we added two positions to our operating budget, but I recognize that all these improvements and enhancements do not address the capacity issues," Ajmera said in that September interview. "So, to address the capacity issues, we have advanced design underway that will give us an estimate as to how much it’s going to cost to expand our facility and we do hope to get that accurate estimate in the next few months."
Anyone who can help is encouraged to foster a dog through the shelter's program. Click here for more details.
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