St. Louis, MO  (KTRS)  Stray Rescue of St. Louis is officially back open.

A grand-reopening ceremony was held Thursday  morning to celebrate the end of the shelter’s deadly distemper outbreak.

Stray Rescue Founder Randy Grim says he’s so excited that the shelter will be able resume rescues.

“I’m so excited about going out on the street and starting to help these guys that have been waiting for. I’ve cried a lot thinking about it, thinking about the ones we lost. It almost killed me. There were days I couldn’t even get out of bed.” said Grim.

Grim also said he was touched by the support from the community. “They stuck by us every step of the way.”

The shelter suspended its operations in late October due to the distemper outbreak, which claimed the lives of 43 of Stray Rescue’s shelter dogs.

To mark the end of the distemper outbreak, Stray Rescue is waiving its adoption fee. That fee will be sponsored by businesses such as Tito’s Vodka and Ashley Furniture.