Build a Shelter for Homeless Animals like Bailey

Dixie Adoptables has had visits from our new mayor and one of the aldermen. They saw first hand the issues we are dealing with on a daily basis, and have a better understanding of our need to get the new building started. It has given us hope that things will start progressing again. They seem very supportive and interested in the needs of the animals and the humans that care for them. 

It can’t happen too soon as we have been overwhelmed by intakes lately, and have more animals than ever before. Our fosters are caring for many more animals than they usually do, and we desperately need a larger facility. 

Our director was contacted by the Sun Herald recently to get her views on the numbers of animals currently in our shelter. Apparently, other shelters are facing the same problem. 

Your generous donations have helped us so much in the last few months, as we have experienced some unexpected problems. Our main building flooded after a plumbing failure. Although the water has been cleaned up and plumbing repaired, we are dealing with swollen doors that refuse to open and close among other minor problems. The good news.. We endure for the sake of the animals that we love and care for. 

The rain that has plagued this area for so long has made cleaning daily more difficult, and we are grateful for the perseverance of our hard working employees. 

For the last three days two of our board members have worked to replace the roof on one of the cat play yards. The existing one, which was a shade cloth, had become ripped and the cats were attempting to escape. The new roof is tin, and there will be no more breakouts. 

Dixie Adoptables wants to thank each one of you for your support. It not only makes what we do possible, but it reminds us daily that we are not alone when things get tough. 

We are saddened to report that Dixie Adoptables’ “big news" from our last update has been postponed. To say we are devastated is an understatement. The city informed us that for financial reasons, they would have to delay construction of the new building. We have been told that they will revisit the discussion in October of this year. This means that the kennels that we purchased for the new building which would be much better for our animals will have to stay in storage for now. 

We need your support now more than ever. Although the city has postponed the new building, if enough money can be raised, Dixie Adoptables still has the option of purchasing or building something ourselves and not having to wait on the political whims of the city government that we work with. We know it will take a lot of money to make this happen but with your help, we have already been able to do much more than we ever thought possible. Two years ago the idea of a wholly independent animal transport seemed beyond our reach, yet we were able to get Dixie Express up and running to save hundreds of animals’ lives by transporting them to the northeastern United States. If we have learned anything, it is that with hard work and the help of our supporters, we can do the impossible and save lives despite setbacks. 

The last few months have been a trying time for our organization. The news of our building being put on hold was only one of the many trials that we have faced. This month we were robbed in the middle of the night and our safe was stolen. The thief climbed through a kennel that housed puppies and broke down a door to get into our office where the safe was located. He only got our petty cash since we never keep other money on the premises, but it created a mess for our hard-working team. We had a door destroyed and bank account information was compromised which required that we close the old accounts and create new ones. This delayed payroll and caused a lot of extra work for our staff. 

Because of this we were reminded of just how vulnerable the animals and employees are in a building that can’t be properly secured. Unfortunately, because our facility is located directly beside railroad tracks, it is impossible to secure it with fencing. Anyone can walk in down the tracks and gain access to the facility. We lock the kennels, but this doesn’t prevent someone from climbing over the gates. The thief wore a mask and gloves so we were unable to learn his identity. 

We also had an electrical fire in the shelter office which was caused by the antiquated wiring in the old shelter building. Fortunately it was during the day and our shelter manager noticed the fire soon after it started and shut down power to the building, likely saving the lives of our animals. 

In times like these, we are especially thankful for all of our supporters who make it possible for us to keep giving our very best for the animals and to keep working towards the goal of providing them with a safe, sanitary facility despite our inability to properly secure it and the challenges we face with unsafe wiring. Please continue to support us in our effort to build a new, safe, secure facility for the needy animals in the community!