We plan to complete this shelter renovation in two phases; the first being our reception and clinic spaces and then the second phase completing our dog kennel space. 

Over the past two decades since our shelter was built, there have been many studies conducted in regards to the overall health and wellness of animals while in the care of an animal shelter. With the help of UW Shelter Medicine, we have continued to learn new ways to improve the mental health of our animals here in our care. We are currently, however, limited on the space we can fully conduct these suggestions .We are also unable to fully clean and sanitize particular spaces such as our dog kennels. Last year, we were fortunate enough to redo many of the common areas in our shelter including the cat rooms. This much needed renovation allowed us to put an epoxy coating on the floors which helps us keep the floors cleaner, more sanitized, and safer for our cats. We now must commit to our dogs. The drainage system in our dog kennel space is continually backing up and we are unable to clean the outdoor kennels during the frigid winter months. The inability to keep kennels continuously clean is an obvious concern. A new kennel space would include a new drainage system, heated floors, and an increase in space so our dogs can live here peacefully and comfortably while in our care. An indoor play area would allow our dogs the exercise they need during cold months and the redesign of the kennels themselves would ensure our shelter dogs are not facing each other, reducing stress and anxiety. Our new kennel space would include four dedicated kennels for police quarantine cases. Our two play yards would increase in size and include pea gravel to reduce the cross contamination of infectious diseases.

Yes! We are committed to continuing to serve our community so our shelter and clinic will remain open during construction. There might be a few days where we have to close but for the most part, we will be operating as usual.

In addition to the updated kennel space for our dogs and a better clinic space, we also look forward to adding on a small animal room which do not currently have. When we have taken in a small animal or bird, they previously would be housed in a common hallway. This space does not obviously provide the needed accommodations to allow these animals to live peacefully within the shelter before their adoption.

We look forward to added office space for our staff as well as a community room where we can host volunteer events as well as other community outreach events.

Our newly added spay/neuter clinic has been extremely successful and with how quickly it's grown, it's become extremely urgent that we dedicate more space in the shelter to better accommodate our community members their pets, and our clinic staff. A dedicated reception area will allow for better traffic flow strictly for clinic guests. A large recovery space for both dogs and cats will allow our clinic patients the quiet space they need to recover more stress-free and comfortably.

Because this is such a large renovation, we anticipate this project to reach roughly $2M.