A group in Campbell County is still planning and gathering money for a new animal shelter

Rustburg, Virginia – Campbell County’s nonprofit organization is pushing for the establishment of a new animal shelter there. The board of supervisors has provided funding to the organization to support those initiatives. However, they still require governmental assistance.

What was formerly a “squeaky wheel” was transformed into Bringing Animal Renovations to Campbell County (BARCC), a 501c3 charity, in 2020. The Rustburg Library was where founders Jeannie Isaacs and Katie Lane worked together before deciding to open a larger shelter for the county’s lone animal refuge.

“That is an ongoing effort to save the creatures. We decided that we would be the fundraisers. Executive Director of BARCC Jeannie Isaacs stated, “We will raise the money; you save the animals, and we will all work together to achieve the same goal.”

In order to construct a new facility on the same plot of land behind Yellow Branch Elementary School, BARCC is trying to raise money. The Campbell County Board of Supervisors has finally agreed to provide $2.5 million toward a new shelter following years of meetings. However, BARCC still has to raise an extra $1.3 million for the project’s first phase by December 2025.

According to Campbell County Board of Supervisors Chairman Kenneth Brown, “it’s very important that we do bring in a better building, have it updated to state requirements, and we got so much growth coming to Campbell County that there are going to be more people coming in, wanting more animals and wanting to stay within our county.”

We have discovered that, due to the necessity of specific rules, animal shelters are among the most expensive per square footage. We want to do it well because of that, said Katie Lane, president of BARCC.

The shelter is now small and out-of-date, with little room for both new animals and visitors hoping to make new animal companions. With only 17 dog runs and a small cat room, the facility—which also houses animal control—serves a county of about 55,000 people.

The current battleground is space. The issue at hand is that while some people foster, we’re still overcrowded, said to Isaacs.

There isn’t a laundry room there; volunteers take their laundry home. When working with animals, veterinarians are required to sit on the ground. In addition, Jeannie and I could hardly fit down an island to look at the dogs,” Lane remarked.

The estimated $5 million shelter would take over five years to complete in phases of development. The new shelter’s design ideas are derived from Lane and Isaac’s tours to animal shelters in different areas.

We would have those actual rooms for meet-and-greets. There would be a place for the veterinarian and a scenario where the dogs aren’t staring at one another across the street. Everyone finds that to be really stressful, thus the arrangement would be different for that. We want to preserve the indoor and outdoor runs. One thing that stood out to us while we were visiting the animal shelters was the input we received from the staff and volunteers, which was quite significant, according to Lane.

“It’s not going to be as big as Lynchburg or the County of Pennsylvania, but it would be something really lovely that benefits the locals, the people, and the animals,” Brown remarked.

According to BARCC, not many people are aware that there is an animal shelter in Campbell County. Therefore, BARCC hopes to spread awareness about pets in need of adoption there in addition to campaigning for the opening of a new shelter.

We currently have an overflowing shelter, and part of the reason for that is that we require more foot traffic. We mean it when we say that—we want folks to get through. Not only do we not want our county to be forgotten, but also our animals. We need adoptions, so please come. Additionally, people must spay and neuter, according to Lane.

“Animals are not adopted if individuals do not turn up; they just sit there. Next, the staff and volunteers need to come up with additional ways to save these animals,” Isaacs stated.

To volunteer or make a donation, go to barccmeow.com/give/.