FAIRMONT, W.Va. (WBOY) — Marion County’s newest non-profit, no-kill shelter, is looking to take in animals for the community to adopt so they can eventually head to a good home. On Wednesday, the facility celebrated its opening with a ribbon cutting.
Marion County Humane Society Director Jonna Spatafore said in 1978, the original building on the same site used to be an animal control facility that was not designed to be a no-kill facility. Animals in the old facility often stayed in restriction cages for long periods of time.
Over the time span of seven years, a new animal shelter was finally built.
“In about seven years, talking, planning, talking, planning, we went to the bank and got some money, and started this wonderful project,” Spatafore said. “It’s designed more for the comforting care of the animals because that’s the main thing, you know, we want them all to get homes and some of them be adopted.”
Now, this new facility hopes to take in more animals for the community to adopt, but also give them the love and care they need before leaving for a good home.
There are free-roaming cat rooms that hold about 75 to 100 cats, as well as 32 dog rooms with toys and beds.
Officials of Fairmont and the State of West Virginia helped provide funding for the new facility through the building process and attended on Wednesday to cut the ribbon.
Spatafore said that the goal of the facility is for all animals that enter to end up finding loving homes.
“I hope that I no longer have a job one day,” Spatafore said.
The Humane Society’s total build cost is $2 million and needs $1.2 million more. You can go to its website to donate and contribute to the facility.