The animal impound facility at the Oglethorpe County Jail won’t be complete until 2025, Sheriff David Gabriel said.
“Everything goes slow in government,” he said. “Some of the prices we had, we felt were a bit pricey.”
He wouldn’t narrow the timeframe, but progress has been made. The land has been leveled, in anticipation of pouring concrete.
The Sheriff applied for a license to build the facility in August, and he initially said it would take three months to complete. Labor is being donated from community members for both construction and plumbing to help reduce costs.
The facility, located next to the jail, will consist of a concrete slab, two runs, five kennels with drainage and a cover, The Echo reported in September.
The facility will be used to detain dangerous animals that might cause public harm, but Gabriel said that isn’t a major issue in the county.
“Since we have started this project, we haven’t had any instances where we have needed to use it,” Gabriel said. “So it's not like something that is desperately needed.”
Before an animal is impounded, reasonable efforts shall be made to contact the owner. Under the Responsible Dog Ownership Law, dangerous animals often can be quarantined at home by the owner if they have the proper facility and means to do so.
The Sheriff's Office will intervene, if needed.
“From time to time, we do run into animals causing public nuisances where we can’t find the owner,” Gabriel said. “That’s usually when we get involved.”
Glenda Faulkner, treasurer of Madison Oglethorpe Animal Shelter (MOAS), has seen improvements to stray animal problems in Madison County since animal control measures have been put in place there.
Additionally, an impoundment facility in Oglethorpe County could benefit MOAS in the long term, she said.
“We stay pretty full a lot of the time, and if Oglethorpe County had their own impoundment facility where they could reach out and try to find the owner, the owner could come to them,” Faulkner said. “It might save us from eventually getting the animal and getting over full.”
Funds from school safety initiatives have been redirected to the construction of the facility. Gabriel said the funds are generalized for overall public safety initiatives.
The Department of Agriculture can’t approve the facility until construction is finished. The Sheriff's Office will be licensed to operate the facility after inspection.
“We will look at this as a public safety initiative because it is a facility to take dangerous animals off the streets,” Gabriel said.