Haywood County commissioner candidates were asked whether they think the county should spend $3.5 million on a new animal shelter.

On paper, the case for a new, bigger Haywood County Animal Shelter is hard to justify.

Jackson County’s animal lovers had a message for county commissioners last week, and it couldn’t have been clearer: We need a new animal shelter, and quickly, speaker after speaker told the board. 

As of Nov. 1, 2015, Macon County Public Health took on the additional responsibility of overseeing animal services in Macon County, including animal control services, the animal shelter and rabies control programs.

After conducting research and gathering public input for several months, an ad hoc committee finally has a working draft for what might be Swain County’s first animal control ordinance. 

Swain County is one of only two counties in North Carolina that doesn’t have any type of animal control ordinance, but Commissioner Ben Bushyhead is hoping to change that with the help of the community.

A new animal shelter is in the works in Haywood County despite a major decline in the number of stray and orphaned animals over the past decade.

A new $3 million animal shelter on the horizon in Haywood County has become a catalyst for a philosophical shift in animal control.

Swain County commissioners are moving forward with their plan to address the lack of animal control by putting together an ad hoc committee to explore possible solutions.

Haywood County is back on the prowl for potential sites to build a new $3 million animal shelter to replace its existing one.

County commissioners initially set their sights on an empty field at the Haywood County Fairgrounds. But that is now off the table due to deed hang-ups — namely legal covenants limiting what the fairground property can be used for.