FAIRMONT – Rufus perked up to say hello, and so did Myrtle.
Dabba and Doo, the unintentional comedy team (siblings) weren’t shy in front of their audience, either.
And Cabbage positively charmed everyone she met.
That was Wednesday’s roll call for just a few of the four-legged denizens residing at the Marion County Animal Shelter these days.
Make that, the new Marion County Animal Shelter.
The gleaming, $2 million facility, which is located just past Fairmont’s Westchester neighborhood, opened last year.
Wednesday marked the first day of early voting in West Virginia for the state’s primary election two weeks from now, and Jonna Spatafore, who directs the shelter, thought a new introduction was in order.
That’s because the county ballot is going to have lots of buy-in on how the shelter operates from here on out.
Voters here are being asked to consider a levy to pay down the debt – while also funding enhanced services of the new shelter, which replaced the original one, built in 1978.
The former facility was undersized, and, at 40-plus years, was in constant need of repairs.
Marion County Humane Society board member Paul Thobois said the place was simply breaking down, with a roof that leaked and maintenance costs that multiplied monthly, like a litter of cats.
Not that it was set up to take cats at the time.
Meanwhile, the shelter – then and now – is a no-kill facility.
The admission in, can be a real tearjerker, she said.
Dogs and cats arrive – basically, she said – because they are no longer wanted.
Not that there aren’t a host of other reasons related to why, she said.
Perhaps your maiden aunt with the three cats died, and no one in the family has stepped up to care for them.
Maybe you got a new job out of state, and you can’t, or won’t, take your buddy, the bull mastiff, with you.
That’s why the questionnaire handed out to people thinking of pet adoption from the Marion shelter has those kinds of scenario-questions at the end, Spatafore said.
After all, she said, playfully cute puppies and fluffy kittens grow up to be plain-old dogs and cats.
Carpets can get soiled.
Furniture can get clawed up and chewed up. Say goodbye to your slippers. (One of them, anyway).
Pet ownership, she said, comes with a leash of responsibility.
The current incarnation of the shelter also carries all the amenities for its furry guests.
Spatafore, a former veterinary technician, worked closely with the architect to make that so, she said.
That’s why there’s a playroom for kittens and enclosed outdoor runs for dogs.
That’s why there’s an exam room like the one in your vet’s office.
If the levy passes, county residents could see an increase in taxes from $7.20 a year to $21.60, annually, depending upon the assessed value of their home.
The Marion County Commission and other entities have long been generous with the contributions to the shelter and humane society over the years, Spatafore said.
East Fairmont Middle School, in fact, presented a $7,000 check to the shelter Wednesday, with those dollars collected from students, teachers and staff in a fundraiser fronted specifically for the place.
Should that levy fail, Spatafore said, the shelter isn’t going anywhere.
It just won’t be able to do what it does – to the degree that it does, the director said.
Which is where the aforementioned Cabbage comes in. The Labrador mix, who is approaching her second birthday, is still a little shy around people and other dogs.
“But she’s getting better,” Spatafore said. “Huh, girl?”
Cabbage these days is a patchwork quilt of a dog. The culprit was mange, which had plagued her from puppyhood.
With treatment, her fur is growing back in, though.
And Wednesday, she rewarded her audience with a wagging tail and occasional nuzzle.
The levy, Spatafore said, means the shelter can increase its staff to care from pups like Cabbage, who need extra care.
In the old place, the director said, there likely wouldn’t have been enough room.
“She would have just been out there, suffering.”
