MARIETTA — The JoAnn Birrell K-9 Annex was officially unveiled Tuesday, bringing a state of the art new shelter for the 11 four-legged officers of the Cobb County Police Department.
The annex — which sits behind Cobb County Animal Services on Al Bishop Drive — will be able to house eight K-9s at a time, is climate controlled, and equipped with a bathing station. It will be used to shelter the dogs when their handlers are on vacation, in court, or otherwise unavailable.
An audience of police, public officials, and community members gathered for the official ribbon cutting. Birrell, who said she has been a life-long animal lover, addressed the audience with tears in her eyes.
“I hope I can make it through this, because I’m very emotional today,” Birrell said. “I have always loved dogs, and animals. But dogs are special.”
Birrell used much of her $200,000 contingency fund — money all members of the Cobb County Board of Commissioners receive to fund projects that are of benefit to taxpayers — to pay for the facility.