The hundred plus dogs housed in the Cuyahoga County Animal Shelter will soon have more space to roam and play, thanks to an expansion project that will add 2,000 square feet to the facility.
Play groups, which allow every dog to play each day with dogs of similar play styles, are core to the shelter’s programming and the expansion will allow additional indoor and outdoor space to do so, said Shelter Administrator Mindy Naticchioni. The current play areas are all outdoors.
"It’s really core to their mental and physical enrichment, but it also means the dogs and volunteers are exposed to all of Ohio’s weather," Naticchioni said. "This will give us a lot more room for all sorts of things."
The $2.7 million expansion will not include any additional kennel space, but Naticchioni said the play areas are crucial to the dogs' health and happiness.
The space will also be used to host training, classes and additional resources for shelter volunteers and the community.
The expansion comes at a time when many kennels nationwide are in crisis due to overcrowding. Naticchioni said the 111 kennel spaces are regularly filled or close to capacity due to rising veterinary costs and abandonment by pet owners who adopted dogs they may not have had time or money for during the pandemic.
"It's a county issue, but it’s also a community issue," Naticchioni said. "There’s a lot of speculation as to why the community is giving up their pets, but we need to turn to that same community to save our shelters."
The shelter does not euthanize animals to free up space, Natcchioni said. Now through the end of October, adoption fees are $31 in an effort to encourage adoptions.
The expansion, funded by a blend of the county's federal stimulus dollars, capital budget and private donors, is scheduled to be completed by next September.
