CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — Charlotte Mecklenburg Animal Care and Control is expanding temporarily with a North Charlotte satellite location to house animals as crews complete construction to get the main building in West Charlotte up to code.
The original CMPD Animal Care and Control location from the 1980s on Toomey Avenue has been renovated and reopened as a temporary satellite location.
“We’ve got a staff that’s going to be here seven days a week, and we are so excited to have this because it’s going to give us a little bit more room,” CMPD Animal Care and Control spokesperson Melissa Knicely said. “We’re not going to feel quite as tight.”
The primary Byrum Drive location is under construction to bring the building up to code. In the meantime, the new temporary shelter will have space for 11 cats and 28 dogs.
“We have reached the phase where we’re doing renovations on the dog kennels, that means that we have to take a lot of kennels out of commission, and with the overcrowding, It’s a giant traffic jam,” Knicely said. “So, (the) city has renovated this building.”
Knicely says the temporary location is good news because shelter space will continue to tighten during construction, putting the facility at critical capacity.
“It’s giving a little bit of wiggle room, but does that mean we’re in good shape? No,” Knicely said. “I don’t want to send mixed messages. We still need the public to come and adopt and to foster more than ever through the upcoming months as we go through all of these kennel renovations at the main shelter.”
This new location is open by appointment only. Officials say any strays or lost dogs picked up still go to the Byrum Drive location.
