Dearborn Animal Shelter to Get New Digs. Construction Will Begin Next Summer.

(Posted Nov. 8, 2016) DEARBORN, MI — Animals hoping to find loving homes soon will have a more comfortable place to stay and get all gussied up while they wait for you to come get them. Friends of Animals of Metro Detroit expects to start construction next summer on the new $5.7 million Animal Adoption and Education Center in the former Amtrak station at 16121 Michigan Ave., The Press & Guide reports.

So far, $4.7 million has been raised for the project, enough to get started on the first phase, a 10,000-square-foot facility that will include kennels for dogs and cats, expanded adoption services and some storage space for the rescue group, which has nurtured and provided adoption services for more than 48,000 unwanted pets in its 20-year history.

An animal intake/evaluation space, veterinary facilities and administrative space is included in the second phase of the project.

The current, 30-year-old Friends for Metro Detroit Animals shelter is at 2661 Greenfield Road, which is more than 30 years old, overcrowded and no longer suitable for the animals or the people who care for them, according to FAMD.

Why You Should Adopt a Shelter Pet

There are many, many reasons you should consider adopting a petfrom a shelter, rather than going through a breeder or commercial pet store, according to the Humane Society of the United States.
Here are five of them:

1. You’ll save a life. More than 2.7 million pets in shelters across the country are euthanized each year because too few people adopt.
2. You’ll get a great pet. Most of the pets in animal shelters are there because of a human problem - for example, a move to a place pets aren’t allowed or a divorce - not because the animal did anything wrong.
3. You’ll get a great bargain. The fee for adoption normally includes the cost to spay or neuter the animal, vaccinations and microchipping. All animals at the Dearborn Animal Shelter are microchipped before they’re adopted. The fee varies at the Dearborn animal Shelter. Adoption fees for kittens are higher than for adult cats. The same goes for puppies and adult dogs.Learn more here.
4. You’ll take a stand against puppy mills, factory style breeding facilities that put profit over the welfare of dogs. Many are housed in shockingly poor conditions, receive inadequate medical care, and are often very sick and behaviorally troubled as a result. If you’re buying from a pet store or online seller, chances are good that you’re financially supporting a puppy mill.
5. Research shows that having a pet is psychologically, emotionally and physically beneficial. Because adopting a shelter pet is a choice you can feel good about, you can add improved self-esteem to the mix of benefits.

Photo courtesy of Friends for Metro Detroit Animals