Lismore City Council’s Animal Care Facility has just received a $375,000 makeover designed to provide a more comfortable stay for animals as they await adoption.

Located at the Recycling & Recovery Facility on Wyrallah Road, East Lismore, what was previously called the pound, had become rundown and a rather depressing place for both animals and staff, Lismore Mayor Steve Krieg said.

“The upgraded facility, which we are renaming Council’s Animal Care Facility, is an incredible improvement to what was there previously,” he said.

“Some may say, they are only dogs, why spend the money? My response is that dogs are man’s and woman’s best friend and deserve to be treated with care and respect.”

(Mayor Steve Krieg, Deputy Mayor Jeri Hall and Member for Lismore Janelle Saffin officially open Lismore City Council's Animal Care Facility)

Work was carried out in six stages and included a new Colourbond Shed to house the refurbished cattery, service/food preparation area and office, refurbished dog kennels and exercise area, a new fit-out of the main office and the installation of a new dog wash bay.

Jody Hinds, council's Coordinator of Law Enforcement, described the upgrades.

"We never really had a very good facility before, but now we do. They've got their own air conditioning. They've got their own little cat towers with hammocks, which is great for them. It's also a better outcome for our dogs. They've got really good epoxy coatings on the floors now, so it's all about protection of the animals, making sure that their disease control is appropriate, and it works out really, really well.

"We replaced the roof so the sky lighting is actually integrated through the roof, so we don't have to have the lights on. The animals have got natural light. It's a healthier environment for the animals."

(Janelle Saffin and Steve Krieg show off part of the new facility)

Jody spoke about the public perception that when a cat or dog ends up in the Animal Care Facility, it means an inevitable death sentence.

"That is not the case. This is the safest place for the animals to be. If they're out roaming, that's not a safe environment for the animals. So, if we have them here, we can carefully look after them, but our whole idea is to get the animals home. That's what we do. We check their microchip in the field. We get them home as soon as possible. We don't want them here. We want to be able to get them home.

"The key message is, get your animals microchip, get them registered, make sure those details are up to date, and we can get the animals back to you.

Another unknown is what you get when you adopt a pet from the Animal Care Facility.

"What people will be taking home is an animal that's suitable for them and their family. Because we want to break the cycle. We want to make sure that the animals get a forever home. So, we do introductions here on-site. It's like a job interview, really. We want to make sure that they're the right candidate for that animal.

"They're all desexed, vaccinated, microchip registered, and they go home happy and healthy. Also, there is zero dollars ($0) registration for the life of the pet.

The process is that when a cat or dog comes into the Animal Care Facility and is not microchipped, it is there for seven days before it can be put up for adoption. If it is microchipped, it is 14 days.

"We want to give the owners enough time to basically come forward and collect their animals so we can get them home. But we've had some animals here for quite some months because we want to make sure that we get them to a good home. If we don't get them into a good home, we have our rescue groups. They are amazing. Animal Rights and Rescue Animal Welfare League on the Gold Coast. We drive animals to the Gold Coast just to save them. So it's really important. Our staff is amazing. That's their passion, and that's the sort of lengths that we go to, and our councillors allow us to go to to make sure we're doing the right thing by the animals."

The upgrade was funded under the State Government’s Local Government Recovery Grants (Floods) – Highly Impacted Councils - Companion Animals Support program. Council gave Animal Rights and Rescue in South Lismore $10,000 of total grant to upgrade its facilities.

State Member for Lismore and NSW Parliamentary Secretary for Disaster Recovery Janelle Saffin welcomed the NSW Government’s $375,000 investment to upgrade Lismore City Council’s Animal Care Facility in East Lismore under the Local Government Recovery Grants – Companion Animals program.

“This is such a worthwhile project and another example of the NSW Government and Council working together for what is a much-improved community facility,” Ms Saffin said.

“It is a major boost for everyone who loves and cares for our companion animals. I’m also glad that the Animal Rights and Rescue Group in South Lismore received $10,000 of the grant total towards new animal enclosures.”

If you want to adopt a cat or dog for your family, the Lismore City Council Facebook page puts up regular photos and descriptions of the pets available.

There were only two animals in the new facility, Sooty, a young black cat and a new Staffordshire Bull Terrier looking dog.

(Janelle Saffin inside the new cat facility complete with airconditioning and cat hammocks)

As Councillor Jeri Hall said, "Adopt before you shop."