After years of effort by a dedicated group of supporters, a new animal shelter has finally opened its doors in Warren County.

Wags & Whiskers, located at 13620 State Highway M, Innsbrook, hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house Saturday, Aug. 15, drawing a crowd of more than 70 people.

“It’s great to see so many friends and supporters out here today to join us in our celebration,” said Wags & Whiskers Board President Tracy Sator, adding that the shelter has seen an “incredible” amount of community support.

“Some of you donated financially, some painted doors, some came and moved kennels, and then came and moved them again — because, you know, we just didn’t know,” she said.

“Some donated materials and professional services, and some of you simply sent us notes saying ‘Just keep going,’ so knowing you were out there, that’s what kept us going. This shelter truly has your fingerprints all over it, and there are many of you I see out here who really have been with us since the very beginning.”

When Sator first moved to the area around 2015, she would go for a walk — and come home with a dog. “And I’d go for another stroll, and come home with another dog, and one time just to shake it up, I came home with a cat,” she said.

Sator quickly realized there was a need for more animal welfare services in Warren County, she said, although she also found out there had been some previous efforts. She heard about Concerned Citizens for Animal Care of Warren County, a group originally formed in 2001.

“So I looked them up and discovered that, while they’d been dormant for years, they still had been current on their filings, so after reaching out to some of those original members and bringing together other board members from our community, we revitalized that board in 2016 and started planning, and planning, and fundraising,” she said.

Wags & Whiskers ultimately purchased its property in Innsbrook and held a groundbreaking ceremony for the new shelter building in 2022.

“We love the location because it’s close to Wright City, and Innsbrook, and Truesdale, and Warrenton, and easily accessible for our volunteers and our future adopters,” Sator said.

“So after years of planning and fundraising, construction, problem solving, and the amazing support of this community, here we are at our ribbon cutting.”

Sator noted that Wags & Whiskers owns its building and has no debt, so any donations going forward will go directly to caring for animals and community programs the shelter plans to provide. She cautioned, however, that while the shelter has opened its doors, it is not yet fully operational.

“Before everybody hears ‘ribbon cutting’ and they start dropping off their dogs tomorrow, I really want to manage some expectations a little bit,” she said.

The shelter has 23 kennels being delivered this week, Sator said, which still need to be installed.

“Once the kennels are ready, we will begin intake slowly. We need time to train our volunteers with animals in the building, put our protocols into place, and make sure everything works the way we think it should,” she said.

“We’ve waited a long time to open these doors and we want to do it right, so please, please, be patient with us while we get our footing. Our priority from day one, and each day after, will be doing what’s best for the animals entrusted in our care.”

Other speakers at the ribbon cutting included Wags & Whiskers Board Vice President Kathy Caton, who thanked a wide range of contractors who worked on the project, as well as supporters who donated various supplies and materials.

“It is really wonderful to see all of you here finally at the finish line for us,” Caton said.

Board Member Mike Bohm, who Caton noted was the original “pawject manager” for constructing the shelter building, also spoke at the ceremony, introducing Kristin Schuble, Wags & Whiskers’ new shelter manager.

“This morning we’ve talked about this beautiful building and the extraordinary efforts of all the individuals that helped make this happen,” Bohm said.

“But the building is only the beginning. Our mission is working to end pet homelessness in Warren County, and now we have the person who’s going to take the day-to-day lead on making that mission a reality.”

Schuble said she was grateful to be part of Wags & Whiskers opening.

“It is amazing to see the community come together and to be able to support the animals of the community, because unfortunately, there’s not a lot of people that are willing to support, or take care, or take in, or even help volunteer to take care of the animals when they do not have a voice,” she said. “So it’s great to see how many people in the community are willing to step up to that plate, and to be able to help us out and to support us.”

For more information about Wags & Whiskers, visit www.wags-whiskers.org.