Tallahassee Animal Service Center delays renovations, allowing more time to find homes for dogs
The renovations will upgrade the shelter, although the facility will have less room for animals while the renovations are taking place
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) - Renovations to the Tallahassee Animal Service Center will not begin until October 28, giving the shelter more time to find homes for dogs.
The $4 million renovations will majorly upgrade for the shelter, though the facility will have less room for animals while the renovations are taking place.
During the 9 to 12 months of construction, the shelter will have significantly reduced capacity. Right now, the shelter houses 50 kennels, some with more than one dog per space. When construction starts, the shelter will have about 36 outdoor kennels for temporary use.
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Leon County Commissioner David O’Keefe said a joint city-county board called Blueprint could chip in more money to build more temporary kennels.
”I think that there’s such a risk to what is an already overcrowded shelter that more dogs won’t make it out because there’s not room for them,” O’Keefe said.
The City of Tallahassee announced the renovation delays to its foster families in an email Friday. O’Keefe e said the delay will give more time for dogs to be fostered or adopted before the capacity reduction sets in.
Blueprint is a joint city and county board that spends sales tax dollars. They’re bankrolling the animal shelter upgrade because the shelter holds dogs from both inside and outside city limits.
“Now, I agree with you that we should always continuously, whether it’s through blueprint, the county or the city, think about brick and mortar money when it comes to animal services in the shelter,” Mayor John Dailey said.
O’Keefe says the reality is the shelter only has so much space to keep dogs, so not every animal leaves the shelter.
“But for these dogs that aren’t going to make it out of the shelter because there’s not as much space, that’s when the reality hits,” he said.
The reduction of 14 kennels is also multiplied, officials say because some kennels can house two dogs at once. The renovation delay will allow more dogs to be fostered and spend overnights outside the shelter.
No concrete plan came out of the joint board’s last meeting. O’Keefe says the city could consider building more temporary kennels at neighboring Tom Brown Park, and he’s open to the idea that the county government could chip in.
But it’s not clear if the capacity issue will be solved by the end of October.
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