Brand new kennels line each side of the back half of the new dog pound in West Union. Dog Warden Donnie Swayne and his staff began the process of moving the dogs currently housed at the old facilty on Monday, December 8. (Photo by Ryan Applegate)
By Ryan Applegate
People’s Defender
The Adams County Dog Pound is officially on the move. After nearly a year of construction and preparation, Dog Warden Donnie Swayne and his team began the careful process on Monday of transitioning every dog from the aging county facility into the brand new, fully enclosed, climate-controlled kennel building at the county complex in West Union. The change marks the end of long-standing challenges for staff and animals and the beginning of a much higher standard of care for the dogs who come through the pound.
Swayne sat in his new office on Monday morning, one of only two people on-site as the move got underway. Another employee worked elsewhere in the building, while the rest of the staff remained at the old pound handling the careful transport of dogs one by one. Swayne said it still felt remarkable to sit in the finished space after so many months of anticipation. “They signed a contract with the contractor on December 12 of last year, and it is really amazing that within that year we got it all done,” he said. “There is still some paving on the outside and a few cosmetic things to finish, but the inside of the building is perfectly ready to go.”
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