Opening day nears for brand new $40M Fulton Co. animal shelter

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - Animal lovers rejoice. A brand new, 50,000-square-foot animal shelter is just weeks away from opening in northwest Atlanta.

The $40 million dollar facility has a lot to offer compared to the county’s current animal shelter on Marietta Boulevard.

“Nobody wanted to visit, the dogs didn’t want to stay there. The Department of Agriculture said you’ve got to get this thing under control,” said Alton Adams, chief operating officer of justice, public safety, and technology for Fulton County.

Adams says the old shelter was designed for just 150 animals. At its peak, he says it housed 350, almost 400 animals.

Space isn’t an issue now.

The new facility has amenities including a 44-acre lot, a dog maternity ward, 33 play yards, a chicken coop, and even separate ventilation systems to prevent the spread of disease.

“This is a beautiful facility that is really going to meet the needs and be more of a community center,” said Audrey Shoemaker, the Fulton County shelter director.

Lifeline Animal Project, the non-profit running the shelter, were recently forced to euthanize dogs due to overcrowding at another shelter they manage, the Dekalb County Animal Services facility.

In September, the shelter said they were caring for more than 650 dogs, the most ever housed at once.

Atlanta News First asked Lifeline about the issue and if a shelter of this scale is the answer.

“Some of these conversations are really difficult, but this is where some change happens, and we need to have these conversations. And I think the community, as it always has, will meet the needs. They want to see the animals in their community live,” said Shoemaker.

The new Fulton County Animal Services facility opens to the public starting on December 2nd.

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