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When the canines, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs and different animals from the Humane Society of Summit County make the trek from Twinsburg Township to Cuyahoga Falls subsequent 12 months, they’ll transfer into a brand new constructing designed with their wants in thoughts.
Diane Johnson-Owens, president and CEO of the Humane Society, mentioned the group’s new constructing shall be outfitted to supply what are thought-about one of the best practices in animal care.
“Twinsburg has labored nicely to be used up to now 13 years, however we are attempting to maintain up with the evolution of shelters,” mentioned Johnson-Owens.
The brand new Humane Society of Summit County facility shall be a 27,000-square-foot shelter and adoption heart on West Portage Path in Cuyahoga Falls. Work on the shelter, designed by FMD Architecture of Fairlawn, started in July. AM Higley Co. in Cleveland is developing the ability.
It’s anticipated to open in fall 2024.
A bonus of the longer term Cuyahoga Falls location is its extra central entry for Summit County residents, mentioned Louise DiLullo, director of capital marketing campaign and main presents.
“It may be so seen to the group,” DiLullo mentioned. “Will probably be a spot folks wish to come to, a beautiful place to fulfill pets.”
Whereas the Humane Society’s present constructing is a retrofitted former warehouse, its future house opens new design prospects to higher swimsuit the group’s objective. One change shall be how the canine enclosures shall be organized, Johnson-Owens mentioned. Presently, the cages all face one another.
“When one canine barks, all of them begin barking,” she mentioned. “It may be loopy; it will get loud.”
This may be traumatic for the animals within the facility’s care, Johnson-Owens mentioned. That is particularly an issue as a result of animals acquired by the Humane Society are inclined to arrive with illnesses or trauma.
“We deal with abused, deserted and uncared for animals,” she mentioned. “We do not soak up wholesome animals.” Wholesome animals, Johnson-Owens added, sometimes are despatched to animal management or one other volunteer rescue company.
The brand new facility could have pure gentle and areas separate from the kennel space the place potential adopters can meet the animals. The kennel areas for canines shall be bigger and arrange in pods. The cats could have spacious enclosures with visibility to the outside and group residing areas for extra social felines.
The brand new constructing’s veterinary companies space shall be twice the dimensions of the present area and can embrace two surgical procedure tables, Johnson-Owens mentioned.
Constructing a greater path towards animal adoptions
Main targets for the brand new facility are reducing the quantity of stress skilled by animals in its care and reducing the wait time for adoptions in half.
The Summit County Humane Society rescues, rehabilitates and adopts greater than 2,500 animals per 12 months, Johnson-Owens mentioned.
The present shelter “isn’t conducive to getting the animals adopted,” she mentioned.
The brand new advanced could have two entrances — one for these seeking to undertake, and one other resulting in an animal consumption space, Johnson-Owens mentioned.
Along with upgraded residing quarters, the ability will embrace out of doors run and strolling trails, Johnson-Owens mentioned.
What occurs if there are points getting an adopted pet settled into its new house? The Summit County Humane Society has applications for that, too, together with counseling.
“We do loads of counseling,” DiLullo mentioned. “If a cat would not use the litter field, we will stroll you thru it.”
Fundraising efforts proceed for brand new facility
Development shall be fully funded by donations separate from the nonprofit’s annual working wants. The Humane Society has been elevating funds quietly via its community of supporters for 18 months; the Adopting a Better Future marketing campaign has raised greater than $7.8 million towards its $10 million objective.
“We have now been overwhelmed by the assist of our closest pals in the course of the ‘quiet section’ of fundraising,” Johnson-Owens mentioned. “We have been even in a position to advance our building timeline by a 12 months because of the early presents by sure extremely beneficiant buyers.”
An nameless supporter donated the land for the brand new facility, Johnson-Owens mentioned.
The Humane Society of Summit County was based in 1968. It has offered look after greater than 30,000 animals at its Twinsburg facility since 2010. Previous to the transfer to Twinsburg, the group operated a shelter on Fast Street in Cuyahoga Falls within the Cuyahoga Valley Nationwide Park.
The brand new facility will permit the Humane Society to increase on its applications and host group occasions, Johnson-Owens mentioned. It’ll even have area for out of doors teams to fulfill and host programming.
“We’re very enthusiastic about this,” Johnson-Owens mentioned.
Particulars on the development venture and the marketing campaign could also be discovered on-line at www.summithumane.org and www.adoptingabetterfuture.org.
Reporter April Helms could be reached at ahelms@thebeaconjournal.com
