Franklin County Animal Shelter

The NC158 Leadership team created an extreme makeover of The Franklin County Animal Shelter’s outdoor areas. The project consisted of transforming the existing outdoor area to create a fun environment for the dogs to get exercise and escape the confines of the indoor shelter environment. The goal was to create a space to instill peace, joy, and a state of play for the animals of the shelter, for the shelter’s volunteers, and for the families who come to adopt new pets. This project provided: 1/3 mile walking trails through the woods complete with two signs (The Tail Trail and Paw Print Path); a 40×80 foot dog park made of artificial turf, a bullpen for safe entry, tires for dogs to play on, two 20×20 foot sunshades, three dog pools, two benches; and a puppy playpen. The dogpark also added elements to allow for proper drainage around the outdoor areas for erosion control – erosion barriers around the back perimeter of the park, straw wattle, and a rock “creek” drainage path to absorb moisture. In addition, an animal care class was held over the weekend and attended by roughly thirty people. Over the course of the weekend, thirteen dogs and one cat were adopted. In addition, seven dogs were pulled by rescues. Budget: $200,000.