Officials break ground for new Florence County pound

EFFINGHAM — Three years ago, Dr. Morris Anderson invited his fellow Florence County Council members to the animal control facility in Effingham to show them what poor condition it was in.

The council members who made the visit to the pound left with a unanimous opinion.

“We were appalled at what we saw,” Anderson, a retired veterinarian, said. “We knew that what we had was totally unacceptable.”

Anderson, along with other council members and Florence County Environmental Services personnel, were among the 50 or so people who went to that same site Friday for the ceremonial groundbreaking of a new animal control facility.

The facility, which is scheduled to open early next year, will be built beside the current location on Friendfield Road.

“I think that this facility here is just another example of Florence County stepping up to the plate to meet the needs of the public,” councilman Al Bradley said.

The 4,600-square-foot facility, which will cost about $850,000 in county funds, will replace the 1,800-square-foot building that has been there nearly 40 years. It’s not to be confused with the Florence Area Humane Society animal shelter, located in Florence, which also is to be replaced with a new no-kill animal shelter next year.

The number of incoming animals at the pound has doubled during the past 10 years, and last year 5,200 animals were handled, said Herbie Christmas, the county’s environmental services supervisor.

Christmas said the new pound will be able to comfortably house 150 animals, while the current building is meant to hold 35 to 40.

“Our existing facility served Florence County very well for many years,” he said. “It certainly has become outdated.”

Additional space for the animals is the main reason a facility is needed, Christmas said, but several amenities will come with the new facility.

Unlike the current building, the new facility will be climate-controlled, will have examination and surgical rooms and also will have an area for people to visit with the animals.

Kathy Hyman, an animal lover and frequent visitor to the pound, said she adopts dogs regularly to keep them from being euthanized.

Not knowing about the groundbreaking, Hyman showed up Friday to pick up Harley, a six-week-old yellow lab mix and the seventh dog she has rescued from the pound.

Hyman, who tries to find another home for the dogs after adopting them, said she hopes the new facility brings more attention to pets in need of a family.

“The facility is really run-down,” Hyman said. “I think as soon as they get the building, they’ll make the public more aware of being here.”

It costs $40 to adopt a dog or cat through animal control, but that money is refundable once the pet is spayed or neutered.

How to help the pound

• Checks can be sent and made payable to: Florence County Animal Fund, 180 N. Irby St., MSC-G, Florence City-County Complex, Florence, SC 25901 Donations can be delivered in person to county offices on the eighth floor of the complex.
• Animals are up for adoption at the county animal control office on Friendfield Road (S.C. 34) in Effingham. Adoption costs are $40, plus a rabies vaccination charge. A full refund of the $40 is available with proof an adopted dog or cat has been spayed or neutered.
• The pound is open from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Call (843) 665-3053 for more information.