AC back on at animal shelter
City gets new cooling system installed to bring relief to animals, staff amid prolonged heatwave
By RALPH HARDIN
ralphhardin@gmail.com
We’re not even at the “dog days” of summer and the area is experiencing a serious heatwave.
Combine highs in the 90s with a broken air conditioning system and it’s a recipe for disaster. Such was the case at the Marion Animal Shelter earlier this week, putting the resident dogs and cats – as well as the shelter employees – at risk.
After receiving emergency from the city, the Marion Police Department quickly scrambled to get the cool air flowing once again. In the meantime, social media lit up with concerns about the well being of the animals and staff, leading to a response from the MPD.
“We would like to clarify some of the comments and discrepancies in reference to the press release and situation at the Marion Animal Shelter,” said Det. Dustin Burnett. “The Animal Shelter falls under the Marion Police Department for enforcement matters. Becky Blundell is the current director for the Marion Animal Shelter and Carla
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Richardson is the current Assistant Director and are responsible for the day-to-day operations at the shelter. The Marion Animal Shelter has its own budget separate from the Marion Police Department. Any donations received by the Animal Shelter go into a speci_c fund only used for medical bills and care for the animals. Adoption fees taken at the animal shelter also go into the funds of the Animal Shelter for shots and other needs for the animals before they are adopted out to the public.”
To that, Burnett added an explanation regarding the busted air conditioner.
“In regards to the HVAC system, after numerous attempts to get parts to repair the current industrial system and not being able to locate parts anywhere in the country, an emergency decision was made to purchase two new industrial units that will have a built-in redundancy system, which means if one system fails the other will back up so that the shelter will still have available air till the other unit can be repaired or replaced,” said Burnett. “We would like to show our appreciation for Furgiven Animal Sanctuary for their quick response in providing cooling fans and misting systems and also would like to commend Justin Glover of Air Care Heating and Cooling who will be installing the new HVAC system for the Animal Shelter.“ The Times, as well as Memphis news channels, reported the story last week, leading to an outpouring of concern and support for the shelter, with many volunteering to foster dogs and cats while repair work was being done.
On Wednesday, Burnett shared some good news.
“Just wanted to update everyone on the air conditioning situation at the animal shelter,” he said. “The new air conditioning units have been installed and the air is back up and running thanks to the _ne folks at Justin Glover’s Air Care. We cannot thank them enough for their prompt attention to this critical situation.”
Burnett said the process of moving the animals back to the shelter was expected to begin Thursday morning after the facility had a chance to cool off overnight.
“We would like to thank everyone who helped us and stood with us, even in the smallest way, to resolve this issue,” said Burnett. “Please continue to share our animals’ faces in hopes of _nding them their forever homes.”
Thanks to some quick action by the Marion Police Department, pooches like this handsome fellow at the Marion Animal Shelter and their care providers are keeping cool once again.
Photo courtesy of the Marion Animal Shelter
