Hall County is opening its new, state-of-the-art animal shelter to the public at 9 this morning.

The Hall County Board of Commissioners toured the empty facility Wednesday as crews finished the final touches to the building.

The facility is finally able to open its doors after months of delays due to rainy weather that halted construction. Hall County was originally set to separate from the Humane Society and open its own shelter in July.

Animals at the Hall County Shelter first will be held in an intake area where they will be separated by gender and species while they wait for examination by staff and the in-house veterinarian, said Animal Control Director Mike Ledford.

Once the animals receive a clean bill of health and are deemed suitable for adoption, they are sent to the adoption area.
Adult dogs are separated into two rooms, one for males and one for females.

The rooms house the dogs in two-sided cages made by a company called T-Kennel that use a sanitation system that helps prevent odor and illness, Ledford said.

“This is the key to keep it clean,” said Assistant Hall County Administrator Phil Sutton.

There are similar rooms for cats, kittens and puppies as well.

Attached to each room is an “interview room” where people can take the animals out of the cages and interact with them.

Shelter veterinarian Meghan Seabolt said there has been a high level of interest in volunteering with the new shelter. Because there are so many animals, volunteers are needed to spend the time socializing with the animals.

“That’s their interaction for the day,” Seabolt said. “To me that’s why volunteers are so important.”

Seabolt will be able to spay and neuter between 10 and 15 animals each day at the shelter. She will also take care of any minor medical issues animals may have.

Few animal shelters have a full time veterinarian. Most have a contract vet who comes in a few times per week.

“I was surprised to find out how progressive Hall County is,” Seabolt said. “It’s going to make such a difference in the shelter. I have a vested interest in it.”

Gwen Trimmer came from the Humane Society to work as the adoption specialist for the Hall County Animal Shelter. Trimmer will talk to people interested in adopting a pet and help them find the right pet.

“I primarily work with the animals, learn their personalities and work with individuals to guide them to what kind of animal they’re looking for,” Trimmer said.

Trimmer said she hopes she can help more animals find permanent homes with good families.

“It’s just important to adopt as may pets as we can,” Trimmer said.

After the tour, Commissioner Bobby Banks said he looks forward to a successful future for the facility.

“It’s a really nice building. It’s well done and we have some excellent employees working here,” Banks said.