BERKELEY COUNTY, S.C. – After experiencing severe growing pains for quite some time, construction on the new Berkeley Animal Center is well underway – a welcoming sight for shelter staff.
“The [current] shelter is in critical condition, making it difficult for shelter officials to administer adequate care,” shelter staff said on the animal center’s website. “Together, these challenges reveal the animal center’s dire need for a new, larger facility.”
In 2020 alone, shelter staff said more than 5,600 animals—from dogs and cats to rabbits, horses, goats, chickens and more—were brought to the animal center to receive necessary shelter and care. However, as the county continues to grow, it’s becoming increasingly harder, they said, to accommodate its rapidly rising animal population.
The new shelter, which will be roughly 11,500 sq. feet, will be located at 131 Central Berkeley Dr. in Moncks Corner. It will include a main building, intake kennels as well as adoption kennels, county officials told The Berkeley Observer.
The new facilty will also be able to house approximately 200 animals on the inside plus horses, pigs and goats on the outside, county officials said. In addition, the new facility will include:
- 3 outdoor fenced-in grass play yards, each roughly 485 sq. feet.
- 2 fenced horse pastures; each pasture is approximately 31,500 sq. feet.
- 1 fenced pig/goat pen, which will be roughly 15,600 sq. feet.
County officials said a little more than $1.9M was budgeted for the new shelter from the county’s $30 million 2016 general obligation bond. A bid in the amount of $1,796,000 has been awarded for its construction.
To raise additional funds for the new shelter’s construction, the animal center recently launched its “Building a PAWsitive Future” campaign. Through the campaign, the animal center is currently seeking community donations.
“The animal center would like to especially recognize the individuals who offer significant contributions to its many lifesaving programs and services,” the shelter said on its official Facebook page. “Through the ‘Building a PAWsitive Future’ campaign, we are offering naming opportunities for donors who sponsor a room or space in our future facility.”
Donors will not only receive a permanent plaque, which includes their name, but also, if they choose, an honorarium or memorial for a loved one or pet showcasing the honorary person, group or pet’s name. The sponsor plaques will be displayed on the “Wall of Giving” in the new shelter’s main lobby. To donate, click here.
Currently, the county leases its present shelter location on Cypress Gardens Road. County officials said that lease will end once construction on the new shelter is complete – which is expected to be by June 2021.
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