The Oklahoma City Council recently approved final plans and specifications for a new and modernized animal shelter through the MAPS 4 program.
The upcoming 69,602-square-foot facility is meant to replace Oklahoma City Animal Welfare's current (and outdated) 47,000-square-foot shelter, providing enhanced services for animals and residents while expanding the facility's capacity. The voter-approved MAPS 4 programincluded $42 million toward construction of a new building for intake, adoption and care ofanimals by the city's animal welfare department.
The new shelter will be constructed on the north edge of the current site at 2811 SE 29, between S Bryant Avenue and E Grand Boulevard. The city's Animal Welfare Division Superintendent Jon Gary said the increased square footage at the new facility would be better for the animals, the staff and volunteers, and visitors from the public.
Related:See plans for the new OKC animal shelter aimed at reducing overcrowding, illness
Gary said that when the current shelter opened in 2001, it had not been constructed with adequate training space for field service officers or sufficient kennel space for the animals. This compounded problems of overcrowding at the facility, leading to the need for euthanasia to free up space and demoralizing a staff already stretched thin.
Thanks to awareness campaigns from Gary and other animal advocates in the community, attitudes toward animal welfare and increased adoption campaigns have improved significantly over the years. The shelter's live-release rate has hovered about 80% since 2017 — a drastic change from 25 years ago, when there was only a 10% live-release rate of animals leaving the shelter. But staff have long said a new facility could help with ongoing issues of overcrowding, understaffing and sanitation.
More:Animal euthanasia has increased at pet shelters nationwide. How does OKC's shelter fare?
"That process of the cleaning and care for the animals would be so much easier in that new facility," Gary told The Oklahoman earlier this year. "This (current) building was built like a prison. If you go back into the kennel areas, there’s no windows, and there’s a chain link fence of barbed wire across the top, all the way around the facility. It’s just not a fun place to come to work, really ... and it’s not good for the animals and it’s not good for the staff, either, to have to come and work in those conditions."
The layout for the new shelter, however, has been designed to improve safety, flow and hygiene, withfourseparate entrances to accommodate different functions: adoption, intake, training and clinic services. The facility also would more than double the number of dog kennels to nearly 550, and the number of cat condos will increase to over 300.
Separate cat and dog kennel wings were designed to promote quieter spaces with less stress. The kennels are positioned to preventanimals from directly facing one another, reducing stress so that the animals aren't always looking at one another. Every kennel will include a window to allow natural light, while durable and low-maintenance materials are set to be used throughout the facility.
Plans also include outdoor play yards covered with artificial turf, a large training room, meeting spaces for sessions and events and a second floor for administrative offices.
"We want it to be a great place for the animals and be able to help with life saving, but we also want it to be a really great place for the people," Gary said. "Not just our visitors, but the people that come here and work every day and have to be in these conditions every day. We wanted to make it a special place for them, as well. I think the architects have done a really, really good job in that area."
Construction of the shelter, designed by HSE Architects and Connolly Architects, is set to begin in early 2025 and be completed in January 2027. The first phase of construction will include the mainshelterbuilding and its parking, while the second phase will add a 2,800-square-foot barn, a dedicated pasture, more parking and demolition of the current facility onceshelteroperations relocate to the new building.
More:A look inside the City of Oklahoma City Animal Welfare Facility
New shelter plans approved ahead of animal welfare leader's retirement
Approval of the final design and construction plans for the new animal shelter come just a few months after the passing of one of the upcoming facility's most prominent advocates: Louisa McCune, former executive director of the philanthropic Kirkpatrick Foundation, who died of cancer Aug. 10. Many public officials credit her passionate activism for "Safe and Humane" animal welfare with ensuring the necessary funding for the new shelter.
And as the year ends, OKC Animal Welfare is also saying goodbye to another major supporter: the division superintendent.
Gary, who has worked with the city's animal welfare for 25 years, recently announced his retirement, with his final day as a city employee planned for Dec. 5. Although Gary is departing his Oklahoma City role, he will continue his career as the director of Animal Care Services in San Antonio.
Brock Rowe, director of Development Services with Oklahoma City, will oversee theshelter's operations until the position is filled. Rowe, who said he was thrilled about the future of the Animal Welfare Division, said the new shelter would "set a new standard for compassion and care" and "transform how we care for animals" in Oklahoma City.
"As we embark on this exciting new chapter, I also want to express deep gratitude to Jon Gary for his 25 years of dedicated service as the animal welfare division superintendent," Rowe said in a statement shared with The Oklahoman. "Although he will be missed, his leadership has paved the way for this incredible opportunity, and I can’t wait to see how the next chapter unfolds for Oklahoma City’s animals and residents."
More:Looking for a furbaby? OKC-area animal shelters can provide one
Want to give a shelter pup a 'Home for the Holidays'?
OKC Animal Welfare is inviting residents to participate in its "Home for the Holidays" program, which would provide temporary homes for dogs, giving them a break from the kennel environment and connecting them with potential adopters.
People 18 years and older can "flash foster" an adoptable dog from the current animal shelter for up to two weeks. After that, participants can either return the dog or begin the adoption process. Shelter staff said all participating dogs are microchipped, spayed or neutered, and up to date on vaccinations.
