As our temporary contract with
Greenville County Animal Care will soon be coming to an end, Spartanburg County plans to open its own Pet Resource Center in the near future, where we will house and care for our animal community.
We hired an animal shelter consultant, Dr. Sara Pizano of
Team Shelter USA, to help us identify needs in our animal community and develop an animal welfare system plan. As part of a feasibility study, Dr. Pizano surveyed nearly 50 animal welfare organizations in our area to determine the best practices of each organization.
County leadership and staff toured multiple animal shelters across the state to further determine best practices and operations.
IMPORTANT TAKEAWAYS:
- Partnerships will be key in our success.
- Implementing proactive programs will help to reduce the number of shelter intakes, which is imperative, as we want the Pet Resource Center to serve as a "last resort" option.
- The goal behind the Center will be to keep people and pets together. We want to minimize the length of stay for each animal, focusing on reuniting lost pets with their owners and re-homing others.
- Volunteers are vital when it comes to the animals' quality of life.
- If you would like to volunteer to help us improve the lives of animals in our community, please email [email protected].
COST:
The total cost of the animal shelter has not yet been determined.
However, the federal American Rescue Plan (ARP) funding Spartanburg County received allows investment in certain areas, including Replacing Lost Public Sector Revenue.
According to the ARP spending requirements, we are allowed to use funds for facilities, such as a Pet Resource Center. Therefore, we asked and Spartanburg County Council approved that $5,000,000 of ARP Funds be allocated to assisting us in the construction of a new Pet Resource Center.
The funding strategy was based on estimates of recently constructed facilities.
SHLTR Architects of Greenville will work with Animal Arts of Boulder, Colorado to prepare a conceptual design that will lead to cost estimates for the facility.
LOCATION:
We have selected an 8.05-acre site for our planned Pet Resource Center. The property is located on Southport Road, across from the wastewater treatment facility and near the SCDMV. We closed on the property September 7, 2023.
This particular property will allow the Pet Resource Center to be centrally located, as it is positioned on a main arterial road, and has 740 feet of road frontage. All of the utilities needed for the Pet Resource Center are available at this site.
STAFFING:
We have created two new positions for the Pet Resource Center, including a Director of Animal Welfare Services and an Animal Cruelty Investigator. We are still looking for someone to fill the Director position.
The Director of Animal Welfare Services would act as a Project Manager, overseeing the construction of our planned Pet Resource Center, and would create right-sized safety net programs, policies and procedures for the Center.
The Director of the Center would also be expected to build and strengthen relationships with animal advocacy groups in our community, as we recognize the importance of collaborating with community partners.
The salary for this position is dependent upon qualifications and experience. Animal shelter experience and a veterinary background is preferred. For more information about this position and to apply, please
click here.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:
With the help of dedicated, animal-loving Spartanburg County residents, we plan to host monthly pet adoption events at the Spartanburg Petco (1931 E Main St, Suite D), beginning in October of 2023.
If you are interested in getting involved, please let us know by emailing [email protected].
RELATED NEWS COVERAGE:
Spartanburg County closer to having own animal shelter. What to know. - Spartanburg Herald-Journal
New Spartanburg Co. Investigator looks to crack down on animal cruelty - WYFF
HELPFUL TIPS:
**To report a potential animal control issue, please contact Spartanburg County Animal Control.
**For more information about how to adopt or foster a pet, please visit our friends at Greenville County Animal Care.
Want to help lost pets find their way home?
If a dog is found, text the word FOUND to (864) 467-3950 to get step-by-step guidance on how to successfully reunite a lost dog with its owner. Pet owners looking for their lost dog are asked to text LOST to (864) 467-3950.
You can also click here Version OptionsPet Resource CenterHeadline to view other Lost & Found Resources.
TNR - Spartanburg County Animal Control Officers worked with our friends with Animal Allies to trap, neuter and return 1,385 felines during 2022.