Looking to help dogs at the pound

A group looks to get improvements to the Muskingum County Dog Pound.

Right now, dogs at the pound only have access to tiny cages, and the only form of exercise they get is being walked by volunteers.

A group of those volunteers told the Muskingum County Commissioners Monday that there’s no opportunity for the dogs to play. This is one of the reasons the group is pushing for either a new or improved pound.

“We will actually form a formal committee and get all of our ideas together, and that way we can bring it to the table and be able to bring all of our ideas to be able to make a better facility, something that we’re proud of, Muskingum County’s proud of and be noted for,” Pound volunteer, Doug McQuaid said.

The small group has started a “pound improement project.” They’re working with rescues across the nation and have even gotten dogs in the pound adopted by families on the east coast. McQuaid said it is crucial to get a better place for the dogs.

“It is very very critical because like I said before, if this would have happen just like a week ago we would of had no where for these dogs to go,” he said. “So it was actually perfect timing, if there is a perfect time, that we had an eligibility for the dogs to be placed in an area that would be under quarantine to where we would not run out of days.”

Just under two months ago, 28 dogs were transported to the Muskingum County Fairgrounds and put under quarantine after a distemper outbreak at the pound.

That quarantine is now over, and unless they get adopted, McQuaid said the dogs will be going back to the pound later this week.