Fulton County to open new $40 million animal shelter

Fulton County Animal Services is preparing to move into a new $40 million shelter.

Driving the news: The new digs will open on Dec. 2 and replace the Marietta Boulevard facility the county has been using since the 1970s. That location will close at the end of the month.

• The county held a ribbon-cutting ceremony last week at the new 50,000-square-foot facility at 1251 Fulton Industrial Blvd. in Atlanta.
• Fulton's new building will feature a veterinary clinic, kennels for cats, kittens, dogs and puppies, a dog training room, a barn, a chicken coop, an adoption space and outdoor play areas, according to the county.

Of note: The shelter is managed by LifeLine Animal Project, a nonprofit organization that also oversees operations for DeKalb County Animal Services.

Context: The organization has been asking people to adopt and foster dogs to free up space at the DeKalb and Fulton, both of which are severely overcrowded.

Zoom in: Pet euthanasia rates were up 25% and intake numbers rose 4% at the Fulton shelter in September, the facility previously told Axios.

• On Thursday, the Fulton shelter said on its Facebook page that it had 297 dogs awaiting adoption and another 84 at its Midtown overflow center at 981 Howell Mill Road, which is set to close Nov. 30.

Threat level: in a letter written last month, LifeLine CEO Rebecca Guinn said overcrowding at its facilities "reached a pivotal breaking point."

• Guinn said the organization has tried to give each animal a home, but since adoptions have not picked up, they have been euthanizing animals to free up space.
• "We have to prioritize the health and wellbeing of the animals, staff, and volunteers," Guinn wrote.
• "We do not, however, want to kill healthy, friendly, and adoptable dogs because the shelters are full. Yet, without more support, that is currently the only remaining option."

To help with the overflow — and to reduce the shelter population before the move — Fulton Animal Services is offering free pet adoptions Friday through Monday, according to its Facebook page.