Present were County Commissioners, City Council Members, Henderson Mayor Eddie Ellington and many interested citizens.

The animal control officers including Frankie Nobles, Chris Vick, Billy Spain, and William Coker greeted guests and guided them through the new facility. There are areas for feral cats, healthy cats, healthy dogs, and quarantined animals. There is a puppy visitation room and a separate cat visitation room. If you want to adopt a pet, you can take it into a visitation room to discover more about it’s personality before you take it home. You must apply for adoption before you take it home. Before the animal leaves it is spayed or neutered and has had its shots.

Besides cats and dogs, the shelter takes in a wide variety of other unwanted or homeless animals. Intake areas are separate and are near examining and bathing areas. Careful precautions have been taken to keep all areas of the shelter clean.

The shelter continues to take donations of bleach and cat sand. Local volunteers are needed to help socialize and care for the animals.

The shelter is open to the public: Monday from noon until 4:30 p.m.; Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 10:30 a.m. until 2 p.m.; Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon.; but closed on Friday.

Now homeless animals will be sheltered in clean, fresh surroundings with bright, new cages, food dishes, and bedding.

The consensus among those present is that this beautiful, new facility is something Vance County can really be proud of and that a lot of pride and thought was obviously put into this building.

(News Article and Pictures by Susan Rose)