With a euthanasia rate of around 80 percent, the odds are against stray animals finding a home in Alamance County. However, a new adoption center currently under construction in Haw River might be their saving grace.

The center, which will be run in conjunction with the Burlington Animal Shelter, is a jointly-funded project among Alamance County, Burlington and private donors. Sam and Vicki Hunt of Burlington led an effort that collected $250,000 in private monies to help fund the new center’s construction. The city and county then matched that amount to meet the new facility’s construction cost of $750,000. The new building is located on the wooded lot directly adjacent to the current shelter facility on Stone Quarry Road and is more than 50 percent complete.

Lieutenant Gene Perry of the animal services division of the Burlington Police Department said the new center should help to relieve some of the stress placed on the current facility due to a lack of space.

"A lot of times, the reason we have to euthanize animals is because of a lack of space," Perry sad.

Perry said the shelter follows state regulations regarding the minimum number of days an adoptable animal must be held before resorting to euthanasia. Each animal is given three days, not including the day it arrived or weekends and holidays. If after that time the animal is not selected for adoption, the animal is then slated to be euthanized.

The new facility will provide more space which will allow more animals to be displayed for adoption at the same time. Perry said at this time the shelter does not plan to change the number of days the animals are held.

The adoption center’s construction is projected to be finished by the end of December. Perry said the center should open to the public by January 2004. The facility will add 8,000 square feet and enough space to house 125 additional animals.

Perry said the new center will also require additional staff, including two new full-time and three part-time employees. Perry also said marketing will play a big role in the success of the new center.

"This is crucial to our success," Perry said. "We are going to have to market this a lot and bring people from other counties to adopt our animals." Perry, along with a number of other officers, already broadcasts a number of "Animal of the Week" segments in conjunction with Time Warner Cable to help spread the word about animals that are up for adoption. However, he said more marketing will be necessary.