Grant makes pet adoptions easier at Lauderdale County Animal Shelter
Published 2:45 pm Thursday, December 27, 2018
- Bill Graham/ The Meridian StarChasity Cochran and Zach Earley play with a dog they were considering adopting at the Lauderdale County Animal Shelter on Wednesday. The agency has received two grants to make pet adoptions easier.
Breleigh-Kate Wolfe is starting the New Year with a furry and fluffy friend.
The 6-year-old kindergartner and her grandmother, Cheryl Wolfe, walked out of the Lauderdale County Animal Shelter on Wednesday with a puppy named Rocky.
It’s the little girl’s first dog.
Adopting a pet at the shelter was an easy choice, said Cheryl Wolfe.
“There are so many that need a home,” she said. “I’d rather have a dog that needs a home than a pretty dog.”
Friends Zach Earley, 21, and Chasity Cochran, 17, stopped by the shelter seeking a new dog to join their family of pets.
Earley – who wanted a pet to call his own like other members of his family – said he was looking for a dog to match his personality.
“I rather get them from here,” said Earley. “These dogs need someone to take care of them and a good home to stay in.”
The Lauderdale County Animal Shelter is located at 501 Cooper Avenue in Meridian. Their phone number is 601-485-1849. Adoptable animals may be viewed Monday-Friday between 10 a.m. – noon and 1 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. The shelter is closed on weekends.
Pet adoptions at the Lauderdale County Animal Shelter will be easier and cheaper thanks to two grants the agency has received. The grants will help offset the cost of spaying and neutering and streamline the adoption process, according to Rocky Rockette, the agency’s director.
“The customer will pay a portion and we will use the grant money to pay the remainder,” said Rockette.
The organization was awarded a Lucy’s Legacy grant of $2,063 from the Community Foundation of East Mississippi, which supports the welfare of animals in Clarke, Kemper, Lauderdale, Neshoba, and Newton counties. The second grant, for $3,000, is part of the I Care for Animals Car Tag program, under which drivers can buy a special car tag. Since receiving the grant in October, eight animals have been spayed and neutered, Rockette said.
Rockette said providing spay and neuter services at a low cost helps to lower the population of animals needing a home.
“This is something that is a big need for the community,” he said.
Last year, the agency took in about 3,200 animals, adopting out about 1,000. The rest were euthanized.
