Gwinnett Animal Shelter, Shut Down Due to Illness, Re-Opens This Weekend

The Gwinnett County Animal Shelter, which voluntarily shut down on April 10 after one dog died and several others became ill, will re-open this weekend.

According to a news release from Gwinnett Police, animals which have been housed at a temporary shelter will be moved back into the shelter Friday. The Gwinnett County Animal Shelter is located at 884 Winder Highway.

A temporary shelter had been activated on April 16 at 632 Hi Hope Road in Lawrenceville at the former animal shelter facility to handle strays.

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• Temporary Animal Shelter Opens Saturday for Strays

In all, around two dozen dogs were affected by the illness, which the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine (Athens Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory) determined to be caused by “common kennel cough agents.”

Last weekend (April 25-26), the shelter staff held an adoption event for 27 dogs; 17 of the dogs were adopted, and the remaining 10 were moved back to the temporary shelter.

Before animals are moved into the main shelter, the facility will receive further cleaning. Steam-cleaning was scheduled Wednesday and a robotic cleaner will further sanitize the air and surfaces on Thursday. According to the news release, Francisco Yelamo with Infection Prevention Technologies will donate his time and services with an IRiS 3200 (Intelligent Room Sterilization System) robot, which uses UVC light to sanitize.

A grand re-opening is scheduled 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, with many animals up for adoption (fees are $90, including a $60 veterinarian fee plus $30 adoption fee).

Animal Control Director Chip Moore said he has initiated changes to intake procedures, including a “vaccination on intake program.” All dogs will be given DAPP and Bordetella vaccinations and cats will be given FVRCP and Feline Bordetella vaccinations prior to coming off the truck or leaving the intake area.

Also, Animal Control officers will have one specific place to enter the building. Newly vaccinated animals will not be allowed to walk near the general population of animals until they reach their designated pens in order to help reduce the occurrence of illness along the floor of the shelter.

“Daily rounds by shelter staff will be done to identify any sick animals,” the news release stated. “If an illness is detected, the sick animal will be removed from the population immediately. That animal will be placed in a sick bay or taken to a veterinarian for further treatment depending on the symptoms.”

To see the list of animals available for adoption, visit www.gwinnettcounty.com. Click on Departments and then the Animal Shelter link on the left.