Animal shelter construction progresses despite snow

With funding recently finalized, City of Cameron Building Inspector Paul Beckwith gave the city council their first progress report for Linda’s Precious Pets Small Animal Care Center.

Volunteers broke ground on the $600,000 facility last fall and, despite two recent rounds of snow, progress on the shelter continues.

“The animal shelter is proceeding forward. The structural steel is up, concrete blocks are moved in place. They are starting to put metal on the sides and get things set up and the roof is being installed. We’re moving forward,” Beckwith said. 

As one of their final decision in 2019, the Cameron City Council approved a resolution securing funding for the $600,000 short-term animal care facility. Replacing the facility became a priority for the city with much of the current facility composed of rotting plywood. Traction for the construction project took off when former Mo. Speaker of the House Bob Griffin Donated $250,000 on one condition, they name the facility after his late wife Linda, hence the name Linda’s Precious Pets Small Animal Care Center.

Kathy Turner, who works animal control for the city and Zoie Findley, who assists with animal care at the current facility, are grateful for the new building. The new facility will allow enough space to provide quarantine potentially sick animals. 

“We started working on this in 2013. We’ve been a no-kill (facility) for adoptable dogs. We utilize rescues and we have Puppies for Parole,” said Turner after the groundbreaking. “Our building, some of it is probably 40 or 50 years old. It needs repair and we don’t have a place to isolate here. If we bring in a dog, and it has kennel cough, then we subject every dog that comes in after it to kennel cough.”