WARRICK CO., IN (WFIE) -
Warrick County Officials are planning to break ground on a new Animal Control facility.
This comes after public outcry last September when a euthanized dog was thrown into a landfill while it was still alive due to space limitations.
The new pound is designed to be much larger to make sure nothing like that ever happens again.
The new pound will be located on Roth Road, not too far from the current pound.
"It will be bigger for the animals, so we are pretty excited," said Executive Director of the Warrick County Humane Society Lindsey Byers.
Last September, the Animal Control Department came under fire. A live, euthanized dog was thrown into a dump near Boonville.
Officials said it was common procedure to dump frozen euthanized dogs into landfills, but officials said Animal Control officers brought the dog to the landfill too early. The reason behind the rush? There was not enough space to store the dog.
"That was a bad thing, I was down here to the shelter one time, and I knew it was kind of small," said Boonville resident Ray Smith.
Officials hope this new pound will give plenty of space. Blueprints were released Thursday.
Warrick County officials say the facility will be more than 2,000 square feet. There will be 19 kennels, nearly double what the current pound has.
"I hope that it will help lower the euthanization rates, just to be able to have more room and they won't have to move animals out so quickly," Byers explained.
Many say they'd like to see more employees at the Animal Control Department to help with adoptions.
So far, officials haven't announced whether the new pound will lead to more staff or any change in hours.
Many are just happy to hear about more space.
"That will be better for the employees, better for Warrick County, and better for the dogs. That's money well spent, I think," Smith told 14 News.
The estimated cost for the project is $136,000. It uses county tax funds.
A groundbreaking is scheduled for next Wednesday. Construction is expected to be completed within a couple of months.
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The new pound, which will be located not too far from the current pound, is good news to many in Warrick County.
