The adoption center is adding some updated additions to a repurposed building.

The Muskingum County Dog Warden and Adoption Center is moving to the former Muskingum County Sheriff’s Department impounding and evidence building. The Sheriff’s Department donated building but it does need some updates and additions to make the structure suitable for the dogs and wardens.

Bryan Catlin, the Muskingum County Dog Warden, said the building his organization is currently using is old and run-down. The building is about 60 years old, and the kennels are 20 to 25 years old.

“The kennels that the dogs are in now, the ones up front that are older are bigger and actually better for the dogs but the ones that are in the back are just too small,” Catlin said. “It wasn’t really built for long-term stay, it was built for a more short-term stay, so now that we’re able to keep the dogs longer, it’s just not that big of a living facility for the dogs.”

Monday morning, wardens met with the commissioners to discuss the latest blueprints for the new facility.

The next step in the process is to hire an excavator to even out one side of the new building, Catlin said. He is hoping donations will cover some of the costs and is anticipating partnering with a local business to get some fencing or lumber materials for the new facility.

The new facility is in a more convenient location and will offer three to four times more space than the facility that the wardens are operating out of currently.

“We’ll be closer to the animal shelter which will work out because we do work with the animal shelter,” Catlin said. “We’ll have a lot more office space, a lot more indoor space for an indoor play area. So, it will be a lot more updated than what we’re used to dealing with.”