LOXLEY — The new Maddie’s Adoption Center in Loxley had a very successful first day of operation Monday.

“We had three cats adopted today,” said Casey Moore, Maddie's Pet Rescue project coordinator as she prepared to close the office for the day.

Maddie’s Adoption Center on Highway 59 in Loxley, offers people the opportunity to give pets a new lease on life because each animal is rescued from local animal control shelters, where they will eventually be put down to make room for more animals, if they aren’t adopted.

Moore praised the efforts made by the animal control shelters in the county, saying, “The people who work at the animal control shelters aren’t the bad guys. They just don’t have space to keep all the animals,” she explained.

Moore said shelter employees are happy about the possibility of saving the lives of the animals and having them adopted through Maddie’s Adoption Center.

“Last year, over 5,000 animals were euthanized in Baldwin County. There were 1,500 healthy animals that would have made good pets, if they had been adopted,” she said.

“They fall in love with these animals. They help us pick out adoptable animals that will make good pets. It’s not just looks. Some of the animals that wouldn’t be the first choice because of their looks, have the best personalities and you can see that when you are around them,” she said.

The Baldwin County, Fairhope, Daphne and Bay Minette shelters, along with The Haven, are members of the Maddie’s Coalition of Baldwin County. The animals that are placed with the adoption center will never be euthanized but will remain until they are adopted.

The Maddie’s Adoption Center is part of the Maddie’s Pet Rescue Project, which has given over $300 million toward the goal of ending euthanizing healthy, adoptable animals.

Maddie’s Fund is a national pet rescue effort that was created in 1999 by Dave and Cheryl Duffield to establish local programs to find homes for healthy dogs and cats who would otherwise be destroyed. Maddie was the Duffeld’s miniature schnauzer, who died in 1997. To learn more about Maddie’s Fund and the Duffields, log on to www.maddiesfund.org.

“We want people to know that shelter animals make great pets. There is nothing wrong with them, they are just down on their luck,” Moore said, adding, “Pets add a lot to our lives and a lot of people consider them part of the family.”

Moore said some people can’t find the animal control shelters to go there for adoption and others are uncomfortable going to them, and the new adoption center will make adopting shelter animals easier.

Moore said the Loxley adoption center will also function as an “information center” for people. Even before the doors officially opened, Moore said people began coming in and calling, looking for special breeds or seeking information.

“We want to be an information center on all kinds of pet topics. I may not know the answer, but I can usually find out or find someone who can help,” she said.

As Moore talked, one of the feline residents was walking around the office, checking everything out, while in the other room, where the cages are kept, Alyson Kerr of Fairhope was cuddling Cleo, a soft gray, white and peachy beige kitten.

Kerr said Cleo reminded her of her cat Isabelle, who died in December, from what the vet determined was rodent poison. “We think now that it was the tainted cat food,” she said. As Kerr talked about Isabelle, she was stroking Cleo.

“You can never replace a special one, but sometimes you see another that is special in some way. Cleo just caught my attention,” she said, with a smile. Before the end of the day, Cleo had a new home.

Sappaho and Sophie, two gray tabby cats from the Fairhope shelter, a black and white cat from the Daphne shelter, named Alley, and Louie a large gray male, who seemed very affectionate, were fed and ready for the night at the end of the day. Moore said as soon as animals are adopted, she goes and gets more from the shelters.

A mother Chiauaua and and her two pups, who are eight to 10 weeks old, were scheduled to move in on Tuesday. “They were left in the drop box at the Baldwin County Animal Control shelter in Magnolia Springs,” Moore said.

An adoption fee of $65 for cats and $85 for dogs covers a certificate for sterilization, shots and a month’s health insurance. Those fees cover over $100 worth of services, Moore said.

Maddie’s Adoption Center in Loxley is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. A grand opening is planned for this weekend, to coincide with the Baldwin County Strawberry Festival, which is held each year at the Loxley Municipal Park and during the festival, the facility will also be open on Sunday, noon to 4 p.m. For more information, call 964-8888.

As Moore checked the cats in their cages one last time and prepared to leave after the first official day of operation at the new Maddie’s Adoption center in Loxley, she said, “We have gotten off to a great start!”