Ouachita County soon to open animal shelter

CAMDEN — Stray, abused and neglected animals within Ouachita County will soon have a safe place when the Ouachita County Animal Protection Society is finished.

The animal-rescue facility is under construction at the county jail. Once it is complete, it will be able to house 20 dogs. If the animals get along, the facility can double them up and house a maximum of 40 animals.

The Ouachita County Quorum Court has allotted a budget of $10,000 for the shelter. The sheriff’s office has the land on which to build it.

The shelter will be 120 feet long by 25 feet wide, and made of engineered wood and concrete slab. Three sides will be enclosed, and the front will be open. Inside, there will be a pen that’s 5 feet wide by 15 feet long, and a little back door that leads to an outside pen that will be 5 feet wide by 15 feet long for the animals’ daily outside runs.

There will also be a quarantine area, an area for storing food and medicine, and a place for a veterinarian to examine an animal and administer shots.

The facility should be open early this year.

The society is accepting donations and looking for volunteers for the facility.

The intention behind the new facility is to help decrease the number of dogs living on the streets in Camden.

“Camden has had a stray and feral dog problem for a long time,” said Amber Wisinger, animal-control director for the Camden Police Department.

“I, along with animal control officer Jackson Walthall, have successfully captured and — with the help of the rescue organization H&P Animal Alliance — rehomed dozens in the past six months. But there are still dogs living on the streets in Camden. It is an uphill battle, but one worth fighting,” she said.