Well over three years ago, the Leflore County Humane Society began plans to build a new animal shelter to replace its longtime facility on Ione Street in Greenwood.
It took a while to obtain a new site and raise money for construction and for the shelter to be built and populated at its new location on Cypress Avenue and Baldwin Road.
The building was mostly finished by the start of this year, and the society was planning a grand opening — with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and tours — for March 24.
The Leflore County Humane Society’s new animal shelter is on Cypress Avenue at its intersection with Baldwin Road.
Then COVID-19 arrived and created a long pause that’s still in effect, sort of. A grand opening remains on the table, perhaps for June, said Janice McCurdy of Greenwood, a board member who works at the shelter daily.
A rescheduled event is hard to plan. She observed that “we haven’t even been able to hold a board meeting” because of social distancing concerns.
She’s part of a team that also includes two others: Martha LaVere and Brenda Jackson, both of Greenwood.
LaVere coordinates local adoptions of the shelter’s cats and dogs and works with the three rescue organizations that assist by finding homes for the animals in other parts of the country.
Jackson, who started at the shelter Dec. 3, is the facilities manager. She manages the transportation of animals for veterinary services and also serves as a rescue coordinator. “She hit the ground running,” McCurdy said.
The shelter is open to visitors by appointment only. Masks are required.
The new 6,200-square-foot building has two entrances. Those who wish to adopt a pet enter through a door that opens into a lobby centered by an ample office-like work station. From the lobby, visitors can travel to kennels, runs, play yards and cages to view adoptable pets.
Those bringing pets to leave at the shelter will enter by another door opening into the same lobby. From there, dogs and cats are ushered into kennels and cages for cleaning and health care. However, the shelter right now is not accepting new arrivals from the public.
Young kittens are kept secure at the Humane Society’s new shelter.
Currently, the shelter is housing 79 dogs, cats, kittens and puppies. “We are full,” said McCurdy.
The difference between the new shelter and the old one is there are enough kennels to house only one dog in each, although some are sheltered with a sibling. Cats have their own places to play and roam, indoors and out. There are central rooms for cleaning and medical care.
The COVID outbreak has affected health care urgently because Mississippi State University’s veterinary school was closed for the semester and a mobile unit from the vet school normally spays and neuters the shelter animals, McCurdy said. Usually, the animals are fixed prior to adoption, and many times they are treated for heartworms before they are considered adoptable. Some of the money for the latter has been provided through rescue organizations, which also have been affected by the pandemic.
Shelter pups look out from their kennels. Because of COVID-19, the shelter is open by appointment only.
McCurdy urged people to have their male and female dogs and cats fixed.
All the same, animals from the shelter are being adopted, either locally or through rescue. People are using Petfinder.com and Facebook to look at pictures of the animals and contacting the shelter about them.
And there is plenty to do. McCurdy called for help with socializing the dogs and cats.
“We are so busy working that we can’t give them the attention they need,” she said. “We need fosters, and (eventually) we are also going to need volunteers.”
She noted that the shelter’s phone system is not working right now, so the best way to get in touch is by email or messaging on Facebook.
•Contact Susan Montgomery at 581-7241 or smontgomery@gwcommonwealth.com.
