Sarge’s Animal Rescue Foundation will soon open its Animal Adoption Center.

The new location will be 256 Industrial Park Drive at the Regional High Tech Center in Waynesville. The facility will include the main office and administrative area, an 1,800-square-foot indoor display and greeting area for year round use and a 14,000-foot fenced area where the dogs and puppies can get exercise and allow for outdoor display in good weather. That area will also provide safety for the animals while being prepared for transport to other rescue groups outside of Haywood County.  Hours of operation will be daily except for Sundays.

Six years ago Sarge’s was formed by a small group of volunteers from the Haywood Animal Welfare Association (HAWA) to help save unwanted pets left at Haywood County Animal Services.

“We call it our headquarters,” said Rosa Allomong, co-founder of the organization. “City ordinances won’t allow us to keep our animals overnight but our location here has allowed the community to find us easier and therefore helped Sarge’s to adopt out more animals.”  According to Jim Ray, Vice President of Sarge’s Board of Directors, “the foster program  is the most cost-efficient way to house the rescued animals. Plus, keeping the pets in homes allows the cat or dog to learn or re-learn socialization skills, work on behavioral problems and prepares them for their new home.”

Sarge’s mission is to help save the adoptable animals at Haywood County Animal Services from euthanasia. It has made steady progress toward that goal, reducing the euthanasia rates for dogs from over 60 percent in 2006, to the low 20 percent range in 2010. The cat percentages have also made very significant gains, to the point that Sarge’s overall saving rate for cats in 2010 was 50 percent for the first time ever.

“This move is exciting and essential to Sarge’s accomplishing its mission of helping Haywood County’s displaced and discarded dogs and cats. We need your generous help financially, and we need volunteer help to continue moving forward,” said Jamie Powell, executive director.