A Legacy of Love, a New Beginning: West Memphis Opens $2.3 Million Animal Shelter

By JR Robinson | JustMy

For the dogs and cats waiting for a home in West Memphis, a new chapter has begun. For the community, it is the fulfillment of a vision that two longtime animal advocates helped bring to life.

City leaders, community partners and members of the Sechrest family gathered October 29 to celebrate the opening of the $2.3 million Carolyn and Ness Sechrest Animal Shelter & Adoption Center. Located at 1800 Southland Drive, behind Southland Casino Hotel, the facility provides expanded space and improved accommodations for animals awaiting adoption.

The ribbon-cutting marked more than a construction milestone. It celebrated a partnership—and a legacy of compassion that will continue through the animals and families the shelter serves.

The center bears the names of the late Carolyn and Ness Sechrest, who spent years advocating for a replacement for the city’s more limited shelter.

Ness Sechrest served as chairman emeritus of Southland’s board of directors. Carolyn Sechrest was a former member of the city’s animal control commission. Both attended the new facility’s groundbreaking in early 2024, but neither lived to see its opening.

Their family joined city and business leaders for the ceremony, connecting the finished project with the people who had worked to make it possible.

“Ness and Carolyn Sechrest brought such passion and commitment to the community and worked tirelessly to bring this new shelter from vision to reality,” Delaware North CEO Lou Jacobs said in the company’s announcement.

Naming the shelter in their honor makes that history part of its everyday purpose. Their advocacy now has a permanent home.

The new shelter can accommodate 48 dogs and 40 cats, with additional capacity available during an emergency or disaster. It also includes separate spaces to quarantine dogs and cats that may have illnesses.

Those features give the facility more flexibility than its predecessor. Dedicated quarantine areas provide space to separate potentially sick animals, while emergency capacity allows the shelter to accommodate additional animals when circumstances require it.

The grounds also include concrete edging designed to prevent dogs from digging out of their play area. Together, the improvements reflect attention not only to capacity, but also to how the space will function day to day.

For prospective adopters, the center offers a new setting in which to meet an animal that could become part of their family.

Southland Casino Hotel and its parent company, Delaware North, contributed $1.7 million toward the project. The City of West Memphis, community donors and the Arkansas Greyhound Kennel Association also provided support.

The location connects the shelter with another chapter in local animal care. It occupies the former Mid-South Greyhound Adoption Center site. After live racing ended at Southland in 2022 and the remaining greyhounds were adopted, the Jacobs family and Southland’s board agreed that the property could serve as the location for an improved city shelter. The completed project combines a new structure with the renovated adoption facility.

“This is a great day for West Memphis, and I’m proud of what a strong partnership has built together,” Mayor Marco McClendon said in the announcement. “This new animal shelter has been needed for a long time.”

The city’s opening message also recognized shelter director Kerry Facello, volunteers, community donors and the many organizations and workers involved in making the project possible.

Their work continues beyond the celebration. A new building provides the setting; caring for animals and connecting them with families remains the mission.

Residents interested in adopting can take the next step by contacting the West Memphis Animal Shelter to confirm visiting hours, available animals and adoption requirements before heading to the new location.

The ribbon has been cut. Now the center begins the work that gives its name lasting meaning: providing care while animals wait—and helping them find a place to belong.