Abandoned Pets To Get New Home: Report

DEARBORN, MI — After spending years in a run-down facility, the nonprofit group that runs Dearborn's animal shelter is looking forward to moving into a new building, according to a media report. Construction of the state-of-the-art, 16,000-square-foot center is scheduled to begin this summer, the Detroit Free Prress reported.

The nonprofit group, Friends for Animals of Metro Detroit, cares for more than 2,500 dogs, cats and other pets each year in a 4,000-square-foot brick building that is outdated and too small, the Free Press reported.

The current shelter, on Greenfield Road next to the city's public works facility, is so crowded with abandoned pets that the staff and volunteers are housed in trailers outside the main building. The shelter has an unsanitary floor drainage system, and part of the ceiling was removed a few years ago because of a rat infestation, according to the Free Press.

Despite the cramped conditions, the Friends for Animals of Metro Detroit offers a variety of programs for pet owners, including pet training classes, spay/neuter vouchers and Operation Feed Fido, a pet food and supply pantry for families in need.

The new shelter will be built on a 2.2-acre site, donated by the city, near Dearborn's police headquarters on Michigan Avenue. It will have environmentally friendly lighting, heating, cooling and ventilation systems, as well as "acoustic separation between dogs and cats, durable materials that are easy to clean and the ability for sick animals to be kept safely away from healthy ones," the Free Press reported.

Construction of the first phase of the new shelter will cost about $4 million. The funds come from a capital campaign that began in 2010.

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