From Deteriorating Dog Kennel to Community Resource and Adoption Center
A $5.5 million state-of-the-art facility is underway at Pets Alive! A tremendous VICTORY for homeless animals AND our animal-loving community.
When Pets Alive was established in 1988, our dog kennel building was just 15 years old. Over the last 36 years, it has served us well, but its physical deterioration renders it unfit for Pets Alive’s needs and programs. As Pets Alive has grown and its reach expands and evolves, the building no longer serves our needs. In 2018, we started the journey of designing a new state-of-the-art facility to not only serve as an Adoption Center but also as a Community Resource Center.
In 2018, the Pets Alive Board engaged Shelter Planners of America and Maddie’s Shelter Medicine Program at Cornell for independent needs assessments of the current 50-year-old kennel building to determine if renovating or new construction was the best path forward for the organization. They both recommended that a new building would better serve our needs.
With the help of Shelter Planners of America and KLM Architect, a state-of-the-art building was designed to transition Pets Alive into a future adoption center and community resource. The facility will feature 51 individual dog runs, three “Pathway to Home” adoption rooms, a community meeting and educational center, separate kitchens for humans and animals, a lobby and reception area, a medical treatment room with separate cat and dog holding areas, a dedicated food storage area, a laundry area, a behavioral training room, and three fenced-in outdoor play areas. Click here to see the complete floor plan.
The new building will many upgrades to make daily cleaning and sanitizing more efficient and effective, more space for intakes of animals, a larger medical area with modern equipment, an expanded adoption area with three adoption rooms, a community and education room for staff and volunteer training as well as programs offered to the public, secure storage space for food and supplies, radiant heated floors for the comfort of our dogs in care, nine separate HVAC systems for maximum air exchange and the comfort of our dogs, as well as large our staff, volunteers and visitors, windowed garage doors, will line both sides of the building so the dogs have more light and an open-air feeling during the warm weather months when the doors can be opened, and a state-of-the-art safety and security system to protect our animals and humans. Our goal is to provide a safe, healthy, and efficient environment for our dogs and humans.
Pets Alive has embarked on an ambitious and exciting journey by launching a multi-year capital campaign to finance the construction of our new Community Resource and Adoption Center. This center is more than just a building; it represents a beacon of hope and a critical resource for animals and the community. We are thrilled to share that thanks to the incredible generosity of our supporters, we have already raised over $2.6 million towards our $5.5 million goal. This remarkable achievement includes two substantial $500,000 grants from the State of New York, showcasing the significant impact and importance of our mission.
Our longtime supporters have shown incredible enthusiasm and dedication to this cause, and we are deeply grateful for their unwavering commitment. However, we are not there yet, and we still need your help to reach our target. This new center will allow us to expand our services, provide better care for animals, and enhance our community outreach programs, ultimately saving more lives and making a lasting difference.
We invite you to join us in this transformational project. Your generous donation will bring us one step closer to realizing this vision. Every contribution, no matter the size, makes a meaningful difference. Together, we can create a brighter future for countless animals in need and the community that supports them.
To further engage with our mission, we are excited to introduce our Paw Print Club. This exclusive opportunity allows you to leave a lasting legacy with naming opportunities starting at $1,000. By joining the Paw Print Club, you will be directly contributing to the creation of our new Community Resource and Adoption Center, ensuring that the dogs and the community are the real winners.
If a membership isn’t for you, we welcome any general donation towards our New Community Resource and Adoption Center. Every dollar brings us closer to crossing the finish line and making this vision a reality.
Please consider making a donation today. Your support is not just an investment in a building; it is an investment in a compassionate future where every animal has the chance to find a loving home. Thank you for your consideration and generosity.
For more information about how to get involved with this pivotal project, please email Becky Tegze at becky@petsalive.org.
Mission: Build a humane community supporting the human-animal bond by being a resource through rescue, adoption, intervention, education, and outreach.
Vision: A community where all animals are loved, respected, and treated humanely.
Values: Pets Alive embraces above all, kindness, compassion, integrity, respect, inclusiveness, and collaboration in all aspects of our mission and vision for a humane community.