Martinsville-Henry County SPCA Opens Shelley Frith Drane Adoption Center
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Henry County is going to the dogs – and cats – and that’s a good thing.
With a new shelter located on seven acres‚ the Martinsville-Henry County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is taking good care of its four-footed friends.
“The mission of our organization is to make sure every adoptable animal in this community is able to find a loving home‚” says Laura Quirk‚ president of the Martinsville-Henry County SPCA board of directors. “We’ve been pro gressing with that‚ and being in our new facility has made a difference by leaps and bounds.”
The shelter is placing nearly 1‚000 ani mals in new homes each year‚ Quirk adds.
The Shelley Frith Drane Adoption Center‚ which opened in January 2007‚ is located on Joseph Martin Highway. The light‚ airy building has 16 dog runs‚ inside space for dogs‚ two puppy rooms with playpens and heated floors‚ one kitten room‚ a large cat adoption room and cat condos. Future plans include completing a park area where adoptable dogs can play off-leash‚ a separate dog park for area residents to bring their pets‚ a quarter-mile‚ 10-foot-wide walking track and a picnic shelter.
“We open up our facility as a venue for local events‚” says Quirk‚ an attorney. “We have porch areas‚ catering facilities – we want people to come to us and use our facility as much as possible.”
The center also houses a coffee shop plus a pet-themed gift shop‚ Beggars & Chewsers‚ and there is a room available at no charge for public meetings and children’s birthday parties. Some children ask guests to bring pet food or pet toys instead of birthday gifts.
“It’s a terrific place‚ and we’ve had a multitude of volunteers‚” she adds. “There’s so much community support.
“We wanted it to feel like a happy‚ fun place not to just adopt animals‚ but to spend time.”
Story by Anne Gillem
Photo by Ian Curcio
