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ALBANY, GA -- Lee County opened its new animal shelter Wednesday and people have already started adopting pets. With the exception of $70,000 from Lee County’s SPLOST 4, the animal shelter was built solely on donations. Out of $141,000 donated to the shelter, $50,000 was a single anonymous donation. In November, construction came to a halt due to lack of funding. But it was the last donation of $207,000 that made the shelter possible.

Dr. Phillip Hajek and his 5th Friday Foundation contributed the final donation. He said they were waiting for the right opportunity to come along. “The animals in Lee County really needed a better shelter than what they had. They were being housed in sheds, in crates, and I’ve been in Lee County for about 20 years and had no idea” says Hajek.  “We put it together to where we could provide the funds to complete the shelter. They had already made some progress, they just needed that last little bit to get it all done.”

At the start of the opening ceremony there were thirteen dogs ready for adoption, but just an hour later, they were down to 12. To find out how to adopt a pet or volunteer at the shelter, call 229-759-6037.