Southaven shelter expansion boosts animal care
SOUTHAVEN, Miss. — Southaven’s recently expanded animal shelter is delivering major improvements for staff and animals after a $332,000 renovation that added 1,000 square feet and upgraded key areas throughout the facility, Mayor Darren Musselwhite announced.
The project included enhancements to kennels, flooring, lighting, ceilings and furniture, changes Musselwhite said have made “a tremendous difference” in the daily work environment for the city’s animal care team.
The shelter, originally built in 2001, features one of the region’s strongest kennel sanitation systems and can house 90 dogs and 50 cats at capacity. In 2025, the shelter took in 913 animals and maintained a save rate of nine out of every 10.
Musselwhite credited Animal Control Director Perry Mason, a 19‑year veteran of the city’s Animal Control Division, for leading the shelter to consistently high performance. Mason oversees daily operations, animal care standards and complex animal‑related cases, and is widely recognized for setting the tone for the shelter’s strong outcomes.
Southaven’s shelter also earned national recognition as BusinessRate’s Best of 2025, an honor based on objective consumer online reviews rather than voting or subjective scoring. BusinessRate, a Better Business Bureau‑accredited information technology company, ranked Southaven among its top‑rated organizations nationwide.
Musselwhite thanked Mason and the entire shelter team for their continued dedication to animal welfare.
