Lewis-Upshur Animal Control Facility opens new surgical suite

BUCKHANNON, W.Va. (WBOY) — The Lewis-Upshur Animal Control Facility held a ribbon-cutting to event on Friday to show the community its new surgical suite.

Supervisor of Animal Services Janella Cochran said that she’s worked with the county for about 22 years and has been advocating for this new suite for about 18 of those years.

“Because our state has a problem, and we’ve relied on rescues to help clean up our problem,” said Cochran.

Cochran said that things have gotten to a point in West Virginia where rescues are full and animals aren’t getting fostered or adopted as often. “So this here will fix every animal that we send out of here,” she said.

The shelter is now adjusting its adoption rate from $70 to $140—which will cover spay and neuter, as well as vaccines for distemper and parvo, and deworming and flea treatments if necessary. Adopting owners won’t need to worry about taking their pet to the veterinarian for about a year if no other incidents occur.

“They’re basically gonna leave ready to go, just to enjoy their new home,” said shelter veterinarian Breanna Brown. “So I think it’s gonna make them really ready for their new homes and people will want to come here to adopt them because it’s kind of a one-stop process. They don’t have to do anything after they leave.”

The surgical suite was made possible by Cochran and shelter staff who worked to raise funds. Cochran told 12 News that the Lewis-Upshur Animal Control Facility was able to raise just over $20,000 to go toward the project. Another $30,000 was obtained through a Petco Love grant—$50,000 total.

Cochran said that the leftover funds are currently in an account that will be used to buy more supplies for the suite, and they’ll put money back into that account as they receive payment for these surgeries.

Fridays will be designated for surgeries, and adopted pets will be available for pick-up by their new owners on Saturday mornings.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WBOY.com.