The Walker County Animal Shelter has reopened after completing a 30-day quarantine that began when a litter of surrendered puppies tested positive for canine distemper virus, or CDV.

Shelter officials announced that the facility resumed normal operations on June 24 after all cleaning and quarantine protocols were completed. Sadly, all eight puppies in the affected litter died from the highly contagious virus. Officials said no other animals at the shelter became ill during the quarantine period.

Canine distemper is an airborne virus that spreads easily among dogs. Because the Walker County Animal Shelter has an open-concept design and does not have adequate facilities to fully isolate exposed animals, officials determined that a complete shutdown of the shelter was necessary to prevent the virus from spreading.

During the month-long closure, shelter staff conducted an extensive deep cleaning of the facility, disinfecting equipment as well as all entry and exit points.

The shelter currently has more than 60 dogs and cats available for adoption. Staff members have also been working through a backlog of stray animals and owner surrenders that accumulated during the quarantine.

The Walker County Animal Shelter is located at 5488 North Marble Top Road near Chickamauga and is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.