Republic unveils new Animal Control Center

New building able to house twice the number of animals as old location
 

The city of Republic celebrated the grand opening of their new Animal Control Center with a ribbon cutting Saturday, Sept. 19. The new building was paid for with the ¼-cent Capital Improvement Sales Tax approved by voters in 2017.
The event featured come-and-go tours of the new building. Visitors could also see the dogs and cats available for adoption. At least three animals were adopted that day.
The new building, located at 732 Highway 174, is about 4,150 square feet, significantly larger than the old ...
 location, allowing it to house more animals. It also has indoor/outdoor kennels for up to 20 dogs, a fenced-in dog run area, facilities for veterinary services, an adoption center, and separate rooms were people can spend some time with a dog or cat to determine if it’s one they want to adopt.
“It’s way bigger,” said Christina Elmore, Animal Control supervisor. “We’re able to house at least double the animals we had over there. We’ve got different rooms over here, like meet and greet rooms. Over there, we didn’t have that. The dogs are in their own separate area, compared to the cats. In the old place, they had to share the same building, so they were pretty close to each other. Here they have their own rooms and spaces.”
Elmore said the new building is also far more visible than the old location, which she hopes means more people will come to the facility to adopt an animal.
“A lot of people didn’t even know we existed,” she said of the old location.
Allesha Bishop, whose family adopted Nala, one of the dogs at the shelter, said she particularly liked the interaction room, as it allowed them to spend some time with Nala to see if she was a good fit for them.
“I’m really impressed that they have the indoor interaction room, where we can get away without the stress of all the other dogs barking,” she said.
Because the new building is able to house more animals, it will save the city money as they will no longer have to house animals at other area shelters.
“The previous animal facility, located on N. West Ave., was tiny, outdated, and inadequate for the growing community,” a city press release stated. “The city ran out of space and frequently had to transfer animals to other shelters in the area. That ended up costing taxpayers $55 per animal, totaling about $15,000 a year. The new facility will drastically reduce expenditures by eliminating the need to transport animals elsewhere.”
For more information about the building or to inquire about adopting one of the animals, call (417)732-3190, or send an e-mail to celmore@republicmo.com. The Republic Animal Control Center is a no-kill animal shelter.