After a month-long quarantine prompted by a virus scare, the Douglas County Animal Shelter is opening its doors again to the public. On May 22, an outbreak involving Pneumovirus affected thirteen dogs, and three were hit with Parvovirus at the shelter. Shelter officials acknowledged that these cases were not initially detected when the animals came in, as the signs of Parvovirus were not immediately apparent, per the reports from Douglas County government announcements.
The shelter was under the close watch of the Georgia Department of Agriculture, which mandated the quarantine. Following a comprehensive health sweep and resuming of activities yesterday, the shelter is welcoming visitors starting today. However, the shelter will continue to quarantine close to 30 dogs that have not yet shown symptoms of the Pneumovirus, keeping them isolated for a 14-day observation period.
"While all animals are vaccinated upon intake to prevent disease transmission, some may arrive with unknown vaccination histories and may already be carrying active viruses,” Douglas County Animal Services Director Vanessa Francikowski detailed in the statement. In the absence of a vaccine for Pneumovirus, the shelter instead focuses on monitoring and treatment to ensure the health of the dogs before they are put up for adoption—over 45 dogs have completed this process and are now ready to join new homes. Despite the severity of the outbreak and the potential for such incidents to result in lengthy shutdowns, Francikowski spoke proudly of her team, “I’m incredibly proud of our team for navigating this situation with such dedication and resilience,” she said, as noted by the Douglas County Government.
With the shelter operational again, Animal Control is back to its regular schedule, attending service calls and collecting animals throughout the area. Those interested in learning more or looking to adopt can reach out to the shelter at 770-942-5961. The full notice is available on the Douglas County website for those seeking further details.
