Lee County Animal Shelter has successful year
Staff Photo: David Dixon
By David Dixon
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LEESBURG — In 2021 the Lee County Animal Shelter was able to find homes for 528 cats and dogs, a remarkable achievement that was the direct result of the efforts by the facility’s staff.
The animal shelter, located on the corner of Georgia Highway 32 and Mossy Dell Road, is under the supervision of Marshall Jim Wright of Code Enforcement. It is staffed by Jessica Walker, Dana Mathis, Tanner Apperson and Tiffany Malszycki. Most of the animals at the shelter are strays that are brought in by Animal Control Officers Sherman Martin and Kathy Mills. A small few are drop-offs by citizens who are no longer able or willing to care for a pet.
For such a small shelter, which is able to house only a maximum of 47 animals, staff is able to find permanent homes for almost all the animals taken in. The pet-friendly folks who work there are dedicated to their jobs of caring for the animals, keeping the shelter clean, and posting notices of adoption potentials, among other duties. With the exception of severely injured, sick or aggressive animals, almost all animals taken to the shelter were adopted last year.
“This is all about the staff’s efforts,” Wright said. “They love what they do and take great pride in their jobs of caring for all the animals brought into the facility.”
Office Manager Walker noted that, in addition to the main shelter, there are satellite adoption locations at Petsmart and Pet Supermarket in Albany for some of the shelter’s cats. Also both these stores, as well as the East Albany Wal-Mart, generously donate food to the shelter from time to time.
For persons who are so inclined, the shelter also accepts pet food drop-offs from citizens, as well as cleaning supplies and other monetary donations throughout the year. Donations to neighborhood shelters, officials note, have more impact on a local community than donations to nationwide organizations.
Although the shelter operates 24 hours a day, it is open to the public from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. Adoption fees vary per animal, but are usually around $120 to $130 per pet, which includes ID microchip, shots, and neuter/spay costs.
During a recent visit, a couple adopted a cute little bulldog name Jazz, and another woman came in and adopted a sweet and active border collie named Bandit. A visitor noted the delight of the staff as two more of the animals were adopted in just in 30 minutes.
Any person looking for a new dog or cat as a pet is encouraged to consider rescuing an animal from the Lee County Shelter.
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