Odie, who ran away from home and picked up by animal control, stands up in his kennel at the Lewis County Animal Shelter on Friday morning. Odie's owner came to pick him up Friday afternoon.
Cats and a rabbit sit in cages at the Lewis County Animal Shelter on Friday morning in Centralia.
Amy Hanson, the manager at the Lewis County Animal Shelter in Centralia, walks past a pair of dogs in kennels at the shelter in March 2017.
Amy Hanson, the manager at the Lewis County Animal Shelter in Centralia, stands outside the building on Friday morning. A sum of $96,000 was bequeathed to the Lewis County Animal Shelter on Monday. The money will be put toward capital improvements and likely a new shelter that can better accommodate stray animals.
Rita Payne, right, holds a cat as Robin Williams scans the feline to see if it had a microchip implanted in it on Friday morning at the Lewis County Animal Shelter.
Rita Payne, left, holds a cat as Robin Williams shaves its stomach to see if it has a scar where it was spade on Friday morning at the Lewis County Animal Shelter.
A sum of $96,000 was bequeathed to the Lewis County Animal Shelter on Monday.
The money will be put toward capital improvements and likely a new shelter that can better accommodate stray animals.
The amount was bequeathed by an unnamed donor and will go into a fund that has roughly $500,000 in it already for the construction of a new facility.
County Public Health Director Danette York said a new building on the county’s 14-acre plot that houses the current shelter is needed.
“Rather than put in a whole bunch of repairs, we’re considering trying to have this fund set aside” for a new building, York said.
A small committee of people has been examining how best to create a new shelter.
During a tour of the facility on Friday, Shelter Manager Amy Hanson pointed out some issues that currently face the building.
The structure itself is old. It originally served as the county’s weed control program headquarters. Over the years, Hanson said, multiple additions were constructed, with the last remodel taking place around 25 years ago.
Chunks of the original flooring are missing and the building also has dated heating and water pump systems. Airflow can be somewhat stagnant at times.
An old building presents challenges, especially when it comes to keeping the animals comfortable and their facility clean.
“We don’t necessarily need something larger, just something that doesn’t fall apart,” Hanson said.
The shelter’s septic system was replaced last year and is large enough to accommodate two facilities.
The shelter currently has space for around 70 cats and 16 regular dog pens with four quarantine kennels in the back. The dog kennels have dog doors so the pets can get fresh air whenever they want.
There is also a large open-air pen where cats can be let out to play.
The shelter handles around 1,300 animals each year, down from a high of around 5,000 in the early 1990s before the shelter implemented a mandatory spay and neutering program for all animals they found homes for.
Cats are by far the most common animal the shelter houses, with dogs generally being adopted relatively quickly. This is also an issue that the nonprofit Randle Pet Ministry in East Lewis County has seen too.
“It’s a problem everywhere,” Hanson said.
Cats are often viewed as disposable pets, Hanson said, and people are more likely to leave them behind or abandon them if they cannot take care of them any longer or move.
Cats also breed more quickly than dogs, which adds to the number of strays in the county.
But the shelter does see influxes of dogs too, especially when law enforcement seizes animals from puppy mills. Under those circumstances, Hanson said, the shelter is quickly overwhelmed by up to 50 dogs at one time.
She said a new shelter would allow them to use the current facility as overflow in those situations.
The animal shelter additionally holds livestock and horses if they are seized by law enforcement.
On Friday morning, one horse named Jorga Suites was busy munching on hay in a stall in the shelter. Hanson said Jorga was rescued by law enforcement from a supposed horse rescue in Chehalis after she was found to be starving.
A foster home has been found for the horse, Hanson said. She will stay there until a permanent home is found.
While there is around $500,000 in the dedicated account to build a new facility, the shelter is also forced to make ends meet as it only receives around $4,000 annually from the county for everything ranging from food and medical treatment to toilet paper.
Hanson said local veterinarians often donate services to the shelter. Volunteering and donations keep the shelter afloat.
“It seems like the community provides what we’re not getting from the county, and I think that’s really incredible,” she said.
Teenagers over the age of 14 can volunteer to walk dogs on their own and volunteers sometimes help with maintaining the grounds or by donating money.
These efforts are greatly appreciated by both the shelter staff and the animals, Hanson said.
“Anything to help socialize them during their time here makes it more enjoyable for the pet,” she said.
Animals eligible for adoption are also posted on the shelter’s Facebook page.
