Donation helps animal shelter continue process of upgrades
Shivonne is pictured standing on the new flooring installed in the kennel area of the animal shelter. (Josie Sellers)
For several years the Coshocton County commissioners and the dog warden have been working their way through a list of capital improvement projects at the animal shelter.
“We’ve been trying to do one large project a year,” said Rusty Dreher, county dog warden.
Some of their projects have included the furnace, parking lot, and security and fire system. Thanks to the generosity of a community member, they also were able to recently update flooring in the building.
“Joy Wyse contacted us to see what she could do to help,” Dreher said. “We took a tour and decided a priority was to start with the flooring.”
The front entrance and office area to the right has flooring made from old barn slate, which Wyse said is very practical.
“She helped lay that flooring too,” Dreher said. “She was right here with one of our maintenance guys.”
Wyse said she often drives past the animal shelter, and that is what got her thinking about helping out the facility.
“I didn’t think it looked like a place you would want to come shop for an animal to rescue, so I wanted to help them out,” she said. “I’m retired and wanted a project. I’m an animal lover too, and the girls here do a wonderful job of taking care of the animals.”
With her help they also were able to upgrade the flooring in the kennel areas.
“They were cement floors and were hard to take care of,” Wyse said.
The new flooring is textured to help prevent slips and falls and also helped spruce up the building.
“We needed better looking flooring,” said Chris Sturtz from the Humane Animal Treatment Association, the organization contracted by the commissioners to operate the animal shelter. “When we took pictures of the animals, it looked like they were in prison. We are thrilled with how it turned out. This was quite a project, and it really made such a difference. The flooring was chipped, and there were times we skated back there.”
Dreher said they are now currently exploring plans with Wyse to upgrade the front of the building. He noted a fiber upgrade to help improve technology also is being worked on.
“We certainly appreciate Joy,” Dreher said. “It’s been a wonderful experience so far, and hopefully we will have more projects to come.”
The animal shelter is located at 21755 Township Road 164 (Morgan Run). It is currently only open by appointment due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, volunteers are there daily to take care of the animals. For information on the shelter or to set up an appointment, call 740-622-9741. Information on services, donating and volunteering also can be found online at www.coshoctoncounty.net/shelter.
Hayley Sturtz, Chris’ daughter and HATA volunteer, said in 2020 the shelter took in more than 480 dogs and served 1,551 cats. The shelter works with many partner groups to help these animals find their forever homes.
“I started volunteering here in 1977, and it’s amazing how it’s changed,” Sturtz said. “We get a lot of support from our partners, and people in the community are so generous.”
Category: People & Places
