Dogs, cats greeted with fanfare for opening of new $1.8 million Animal Protectors shelter in New Kensington

About an hour in the past

Pet canine tails wagged, cats meowed and the employees and volunteers of Animal Protectors of Allegheny Valley rejoiced on Thursday afternoon for the opening of its new $1.8 million animal shelter alongside Church Avenue in New Kensington.

The ability is the decrease Alle-Kiski Valley’s first main, large-scale animal shelter.

Along with medical and shelter provisions for animals, there’s now house for animal coaching, adoption meet-and-greets, neighborhood outreach and extra.

Beforehand, Animal Protectors operated in a small constructing alongside New Kensington’s Linden Avenue that for years was ill-equipped with correct air flow or enough house to take care of the animals.

Efforts by the shelter’s board incoming president, Phyllis Framel, and others become an virtually eight-year odyssey to discover a new bigger residence.

They have been turned away in Allegheny Township and Decrease Burrell to find the shelter there.

Then, in 2016, they secured the previous faculty at 730 Church St. within the metropolis. Shelter officers fielded the standard and atypical fundraising and construction challenges including stoppages attributable to the covid-19 pandemic.

“We did it,” Framel stated on Thursday. “Lots of people labored actually onerous, and now now we have this excellent facility for the neighborhood and surrounding space.

“We’ve been in existence for 54 years and hope to serve for an additional 54 years with expanded providers and a more healthy ambiance for the animals,” she stated.

There was little fanfare with Thursday’s ribbon slicing ceremony on the entrance of the brand new shelter as board members, employees, volunteers and the media turned their consideration to the canines and cats as they arrived one-by-one getting into the shelter.

Kevin, Joker and Harley — all combined breeds — have been among the many canines introduced in on leashes to excited shelter employees and volunteers who referred to as their names, greeting every animal.

Predictably, the cats held on to their aloof demeanor at they arrived in carriers. They have been whisked to their new residence with facet litter field rooms subsequent to their cages and a financial institution of home windows permitting daylight to flood the room.

The ability will home the shelter’s present crop of about 16 cats and eight canines.

The brand new shelter, which is about 14,000 sq. ft, is sort of 5 instances the dimensions of the previous shelter.

The brand new web site additionally options trendy kennels with glass doorways, a number of medical rooms with holding areas and complex air flow to always refresh the air and likewise include circulation within the medical rooms to forestall the unfold of viruses.

“Once I noticed the signal outdoors of this new shelter as we speak, I virtually cried,” stated Dr. Betsy Kennon, who volunteers skilled veterinary providers to the shelter.

“That is our without end residence and we will accomplish that a lot for these critters now,” she stated.

Kennon marveled on the particular person medical rooms replete with a sink and chrome steel examination tables and kennels.

“It will likely be good to now not have to look at an animal on the ground or on the counter,” she stated.

The mission was made attainable by some hefty, six-figure bequests from space residents, together with different donations from people and basis grants, Framel stated.

A few of the massive bequests got here from volunteers, whereas different massive particular person donations have been an entire shock, she stated.

“Animals are an enormous a part of folks’s lives particularly now through the pandemic,” Framel stated. “Folks understand there’s a want for stray, abused and deserted animals to seek out houses and it’s a mission that’s pricey to the hearts of some residents.”

Whereas animals have been shifting into the brand new shelter Thursday, it’ll take days to fully settle in, Framel stated.

Though the ability is closed to walk-in site visitors, animal adoptions are ongoing however are solely supplied by advance appointments.

For extra data, go to Animal Protectors’ website and name their workplaces at 724-339-7388.

Canzian/Johnston and Associates, an architectural agency in New Kensington, deliberate the renovated house with shelter officers. Development work was offered by Masco Development, Inc.

Mary Ann Thomas is a Tribune-Assessment employees author. You may contact Mary at 724-226-4691, mthomas@triblive.com or by way of Twitter .