DOG FRIENDLY
Donors help make Horn Lake animal shelter’s exercise area a reality
The four-legged residents of Horn Lake’s city animal shelter have something to bark about, thanks to the help of several community partners.
Director Danny Smith on June 3 dedicated a new exercise area behind the shelter, giving dogs a chance to run and play in a way that wasn’t possible previously.
“Before, we just had to take them for a walk on leashes,” Smith said. “As things came up during the day and employees got busy, that wasn’t always possible.”
Now, dogs can be let loose in the roughly 40-by-100-foot fenced area that will be outfitted with additional equipment as funds become available. In time, the shelter hopes to construct a similar area for cats.
Smith said it’s all part of efforts to make the shelter more friendly for the dogs and cats housed there. Though it isn’t technically a no-kill facility, only two dogs have been euthanized in recent years — one that had been hit by a car, and another that had parvovirus.
“It’s been a tough year, though” in terms of capacity, Smith said. The shelter can comfortably accommodate 40 animals but at one point housed 44. Currently, the shelter has 10 dogs.
Donors who provided the roughly $5,000 to fence and equip the exercise area include a couple of area businesses, Walmart and Target; a local Elvis fan club, and some other individual shelter supporters.
Walmart, which opened a Horn Lake Supercenter in January, donated $1,000 to the project. The store also gives bags of dog food to the shelter on a regular basis.
“They’ve been a fantastic partner,” Smith said. “At least once a week, we get a healthy supply of food from them.”
Barry Hill, the store’s manager, said giving back to the community is a mission of all local Walmart stores. “It’s one of the best parts of the job, frankly — being able to give back to the community,” Hill said. “I know they want to do something for the cats, and we’ll be here for that too.”
Sandi Pichon, of the TCB Elvis Style fan club, said the club holds an auction twice a year and donates auction proceeds to the animal shelter.