Name picked in 23% of more than 1,400 votes cast at PublicInput.com
Update: Henrico Pet Adoption Center was selected as the name for the county’s proposed animal adoption center. The name was preferred on 23% of the 1,411 votes cast at PublicInput.com. Among the seven finalists, Henrico Animal House finished second, with 19%, followed by Furever Friends Pet Adoption Center, 16%; Wags & Whiskers Pet Adoption Center, 15%; Happy Tails Pet Adoption Center, 12%; Henrico P.A.C.K. (Protect and Adopt Canines and Kitties), 8%; and Henrico Hope Pet Adoption Center, 7%.
Henrico residents are invited to suggest names for an animal adoption center that is one of several proposed capital projects included in a countywide bond referendum that voters will consider as part of the 2022 general election.
Individuals can share their naming ideas at PublicInput.com through Aug. 31. The top choices will be made available for a public vote online in September. Individuals can follow the progress of the naming campaign on the Henrico County Government accounts on Twitter and Facebook.
County officials, joined by representatives from the Henrico Humane Society, announced the effort today in a press briefing outside the dog park at Short Pump Park.
Three Chopt District Supervisor Tommy Branin noted that the center would care for dogs, cats and other companion animals until they have been adopted into a “forever home.”
“We have a great plan for an animal adoption center, but we don’t have a name for it, and that’s where our residents come in,” Branin said. “We encourage everyone to go to PublicInput.com and submit your best name.”
The animal adoption center is part of a package of more than $500 million in county capital projects — including new and renovated schools, parks, and fire stations and public safety facilities — that county voters will consider for funding in the upcoming bond referendum. Voters will decide whether to fund projects in four categories. The animal adoption center, proposed for funding at $15 million, is included in the public safety facilities category. Absentee voting for the general election begins on Friday, Sept. 23; Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 8.
Melissa Golden of the Henrico Humane Society said that the center could help eliminate the euthanasia of adoptable animals in the community.
“If you’ve ever experienced the companionship and unconditional love of a dog or a cat, you understand the value of this life-saving effort,” Golden said.
Branin added that should voters approve funding for the project in the bond referendum, the county plans to construct the center and then turn it over to a private partner to operate it.
“This project will become the latest example of how Henrico County cultivates public-private partnerships to provide the highest level of service and efficiency for our residents and taxpayers,” he said.
Names for the animal adoption center can be submitted at PublicInput.com. Information about the county’s 2022 bond referendum is available at henrico.us/bonds.
