Major renovations to animal shelter being put to use | Collierville Independent

When Christina Hodge started volunteering with Collierville Animal Services (CAS) in October 2016, she worked alongside construction workers who were making improvements to the building at 603 East South Street.

By the time she became Shelter Manager last July, Hodge and her staff were taking full advantage of the “new” spaces at the shelter.

To call the additional space “extra” would indicate a misunderstanding of what goes on within the walls of a facility like CAS.

Hodge said the new laundry and surgery rooms have made weekly spay and neuter surgeries and medical intake much easier.

“Now we actually have room to move around,” said Hodge. “The space we used before for surgery, vaccinations and medical intake was the size of our bathroom. Now we also have room for two desks and a scale, and a place to clean surgery instruments.”

The shelter’s now larger cat room is another blessing, said Hodge. The new room will hold up to 60 cats, and it has a play area where the cats can take turns having uncaged time to stretch their legs and stay healthy.

“Our cat population is down right now, and part of that is due to the success of our TNR (trap, neuter, release) program,” said Hodge.

That being said, the larger room will be a welcome haven for any stray or surrendered cats showing up at the CAS door.

Hodge’s own office is part of the renovated area and it has become much more than just a quiet place for her managerial duties. She regularly gathers the shelter’s staff of seven into the office for meetings and trainings.

“It’s large enough that we can use the projector to watch webinars on the wall,” said Hodge.

The renovations were completed in 2017. The additions totaled 1,300 square feet on the east side of the building and 1,200 square feet on the west side of the building, and included additional office space and a new restroom in addition to the areas already mentioned here. The heating and air conditioning systems in the building were also replaced.

Public donations funded around 75 percent of the $433,000 cost of the renovations.

Adoption hours at the Collierville Animal Shelter are Thursday- Sunday, 1-4 p.m. Animal Control hours are Monday-Sunday from 8-5 p.m.; the after-hours number is 901.853.3207.