PEACH COUNTY, Ga. — After a three-year standstill, Peach County is making headway on a $1.3 million animal control center project. This development has been on the county agenda since 2008.
It comes after residents of the county have expressed the need for an expanded animal control program in the county.
Peach County Commissioner Wade Yoder said due to an economic downturn in 2008, program development was put on pause.
Nearly 10 years later, an official site was approved in 2021 after the county considered several locations. The site for the control center is a repurposed county property located on Clint Howard Road.
"When the economy turns down, you can't adopt dogs out as much, so there's more people dropping off dogs," Yoder said. "We tried to do something temporary, but it didn't quite work."
Yoder said site construction will be funded by Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax SPLOST money, which was given the green light before the development was put on pause.
Yoder said in the meantime, many local rescue groups and neighboring jurisdictions have had to bear the extra responsibility and stepped up to lend a hand.
“There's been an unfair burden on our animal rescue groups to the point where it been a real fatigue," Yoder said.
One rescue group in particular, Critical Care for Animal Angels, has had to keep its door closed to new animals for the time being since it reached full capacity. The center's owner Regenia Brabham said it's hard on animals without a home, but says it's also financially hard on facilities that take in a large influx of stray animals.
"We used to get dogs from all over the state," Brabham said. "We have stayed at capacity for the last couple of years and Byron animal patrol has been overflown with dogs, so we've really worked hard to get those out."
She said she has noticed an alarming amount of animals who come through with apparent signs of physical abuse.
"We're seeing a lot of animals being dumped, a lot of breeding and drug overdoses where the people die or go to jail so the dogs are left helpless," Brabham said. "A lot of people are getting pulled over on the interstate so those dogs have to get moved immediately."
With this new shelter, Brabham hopes this will be a temporary safe haven for fur babies looking for a home.
"I think the animals will (benefit) because there are so many animals in the streets and they're starving and being shot," Brabham said. "With no animal control, we get a call, we got to move dogs right then."
The Peach County Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation Center announced it was closing its doors last summer because of financial issues.
Once the center opens its doors, only dogs will be accepted. Upon arrival, they will be placed in quarantined kennels until deemed in good health. After talking with the Georgia Department of Agriculture, Yoder said the county wanted to prioritize safe indoor air quality for the animals that will allow for natural air from the outdoors. This will include features applicable to the sweltering summer heat and freezing cold winters.
"We wanted to give the dogs a little more of their natural element," Yoder said.
In a few months, the county will present a proposed animal control ordinance to allow for community feedback before it's taken to the floor for an official vote.
Yoder said this component will be a part of the Marshal's Office. The county confirmed the cities of Fort Valley and Byron will continue to operate their own animal control services, but this project will serve the entire area.