Stephanie McTaggart took over duties at the Walker County Animal Shelter and Adoption Center last month and has hit the ground running ever since.
With more than 75 dogs and 11 cats currently in the shelter, the new director has a lot on her to-do list to get the animals out the door and into the arms of their new families. So far, McTaggart has started a new volunteer program, introduced medical care protocols that have decreased illnesses among pets in the shelter, and kick-started a new partnership with the Atlanta Humane Society.
A puppy peeks out of its cage in the Walker County Animal Shelter and Adoption Center intake room. Puppies in this room are still too small to join the other dogs in the main area of the shelter, said shelter manager Stephanie McTaggart.
A nameless cat waits to be adopted at the Walker County Animal Shelter in Chickamauga. The shelter is running an adoption special until Feb. 15. Dogs are available for a $25 adoption fee and cats for a $14 fee.
Jolene, a 1-year-old blue heeler mix, sits in her cage at the Walker County Animal Shelter. The shelter is running an adoption special until Feb. 15. Dogs are available for a $25 adoption fee and cats for a $14 fee."I think Stephanie understands the importance of utilizing resources that are available," said Joe Legge, public relations director for the county. "Whether it be the website, Facebook, rescues or different volunteer groups out there, it creates more opportunities to get animals out of the shelter and into good homes."
Last May, the Times Free Press revealed that the shelter's euthanasia rate was nearly 50 percent. The article also detailed steps Walker County was taking to reduce that figure. Consultants from Target Zero, a national nonprofit aimed at lowering shelters' kill rates to 10 percent, suggested the Walker County shelter promote adoptions, move animals out faster and prevent as much mating as they can.
McTaggart began volunteering at the shelter in 2015, becoming the rescue coordinator shortly thereafter. Since transitioning to shelter manager, she has helped to revamp the volunteer program, and the shelter is now looking for more volunteers to apply. The front office is also undergoing some major remodeling to create a meet-and-greet area for the animals and their prospective families.
But perhaps the biggest difference is a new partnership with the Atlanta Humane Society, a no-kill shelter. McTaggart said the Humane Society will visit the Walker County shelter once a month and take a handful of dogs and cats back to be adopted. On the first trip, the Humane Society took eight cats and nine dogs from the shelter.
"We want these animals to go to great homes," McTaggart said. "They may offer that more so there than we can here. They have a lot more people coming in to adopt."
Besides handling day-to-day operations and increasing animal adoptions, one of McTaggart's main tasks will be to reduce the euthanasia rates. The shelter has recently begun spaying, neutering and vaccinating all animals before they are adopted.
Before last month the shelter wasn't doing that at all.
According to McTaggart, the shelter now also deworms and medicates the animals when necessary. The number of canine parvovirus cases in the shelter has decreased dramatically, she said.
"The animals need to be healthy to leave here regardless if they are going to a rescue or a family," McTaggart said.
In 2017, McTaggart's efforts as rescue coordinator helped save 825 animals, a 25 percent increase over the prior year, according to a press release from the county. The shelter had 90 cats about three months back, McTaggart said, but had to stop taking them in because of airborne illnesses that were being spread throughout the shelter.
To help the shelter's animals get adopted, McTaggart also hopes to increase their visibility to the public by uploading each animal's photos and information online and holding adoption events out in the community. She said the shelter gets a lot of stray animals and pets whose owners can no longer take care of them.
The shelter, located at 5488 N. Marble Top Road in Chickamauga, is holding an adoption special until Feb. 15. Dogs are be available for adoption for $25 and cats are available for $14.
Email Allison Shirk at allisonshirk92@gmail.com.