Public gets first look at new animal shelter

James Allen looks down to answer a question from his 2-year-old son, Owen, while 9-year-old Branden looks inside one of the pens at the new animal shelter. Photo by Gerry Tritz.

By Gerry Tritz

Monday, June 4, 2012

A steady stream of visitors came to see the city’s new $2 million animal shelter, offering praise for the long-awaited building that offers prospective pets more space and more amenities.

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“I think it’s great,” said James Allen, a Centertown resident who brought his two boys to see the shelter at 2308 Hyde Park Road.

He said his family adopted two dogs from the old shelter at 919 E. Miller St. “This one has a lot more room. It should be less stress on the animals. It’s money well spent,” he said.

The 10,000-square-foot building more than doubles space at the previous Jefferson City Animal Shelter and includes 84 cat cages, 53 dog cages and 25 outdoor cages. The cages are capable of holding more than one animal. The cat cages have sliding separators that can link multiple cages, allowing more room for situations such as a mother with kittens.