Construction on the new Animal Management building is being completed. Max Hamm, general contractor for FH Paschen, looks at what will be the new front area to greet the public. Tuesday, March 22, 2022.
Tom Russo | Daily Reporter
GREENFIELD – It was a happy day at the Greenfield-Hancock County Animal Management center on March 14 when three animals were adopted and two more were returned to their rightful homes.
A husky named Elton, a beagle mix named Zeus and a rabbit named Bun Bun were among the lucky ones to find new homes.
Adoptions are always welcome news at the shelter, which has struggled to find enough room to house animals since moving into temporary digs at the start of last year.
The move was prompted by the need to vacate the former animal management space just south of downtown Greenfield in January 2021 to make way for an expansion of Greenfield’s wastewater treatment plant.
The animal management staff moved their offices into a former Greenfield veterinary office at 2195 West U.S. 40, reducing its capacity for dogs and cats by 50 percent.
In November, the department was pleading with the public to consider adopting from the shelter, which was bursting at the seams with just 12 kennels for dogs and 18 for cats.
“We’ve been at capacity pretty much the entire time we’ve been here,” Dehoney said last week. “Unfortunately, the animals never stop coming in.”
The director can’t wait to move into the department’s new digs, at 740 S. Franklin St., which will accommodate 43 dogs and 78 cats. The new shelter will also have an enlarged outdoor space and meeting rooms where the public can interact with potential pets.
Dehoney said the move is tentatively set for August, but that could change as construction is still underway.
In the meantime, the department is making do at its temporary location.
“We’re not doing too badly on space right now, but that could change in the spring and summer months,” Dehoney said.
The department’s kennel manager, Megan Manship, said the new site will not only house more animals but will provide a warm, inviting environment where people can meet potential adoptees.
“We can’t wait to get into the new space,” she said.
Adopting out animals is just one role for the county’s animal management department.
The staff of eight is also tasked with tracking down strays and taking in lost and surrendered animals, removing dead animals within city limits, investigating animal cruelty and neglect reports and enforcing city and county ordinances.
The department also educates the public on the responsibilities of pet ownership.
As for strays and lost pets, those who go unclaimed for five days are then put up for adoption, provided they’re healthy and non-aggressive, Manship said.
Dehoney said the shelter hasn’t been forced to euthanize more animals since moving to a small facility, but has rather decreased its intake.
“We’re limited intake, so people have to call first” to surrender an animal, she said. “If we don’t have the space, we tell them to call us back in a few days or the next week.”
Dehoney said animals are surrendered for a number of reasons, such as not being able to afford the animal’s upkeep, or not being able to take a pet along for a move out of town.
The department offers free euthanasia services for county residents whose pets are ready to cross the rainbow bridge.
One such pet, however, got a new lease on life when shelter staff opted to put the 18-year-old cat up for adoption.
Fat Cat, as she has been named, is now hopefully awaiting adoption at the Greenfield shelter.
“We thought she could find a good home to live out the rest of her life. She has a lot of love left to give,” Manship said.
Fat Cat is among a number of personable characters taking up residence at the shelter.
Last week, a happy-go-lucky pup named Mia enthusiastically wagged her tail and licked visitors who walked by her cage.
Jewell and Spook — a bonded pair of black cats — rubbed up against their cages to greet guests by the front door.
Meanwhile, the resident office cat, aptly named Freedom, made her way unhindered throughout the shelter, checking in on her four-legged friends.
