The City of Burlington, along with its partners, Alamance County and the Pet Adoption and Welfare Society, is excited to begin the process of renovating and expanding the Burlington Animal Services facility. This project will replace a deteriorating 57 year old intake facility and renovate the existing pet adoption center, bringing intake and adoption functions under one roof and moderately expanding the facility footprint (12,330 sq ft). The facility is designed to be flexible in use, increase customer service, and provide adequate housing facilities for the community’s lost or homeless pets.
The construction project is currently out to bid, and the City anticipates breaking ground on the project sometime this spring. Construction is estimated to last approximately 18 months.
Current animal housing areas are close to failing to meet minimum standards. Many animal enclosures are not climate controlled and are subject to extreme temperatures. The renovation and expansion will replace all current enclosures with climate controlled housing that allows for flexibility in use. The expansion will add a minimum of 33% cat capacity and 19% to current dog holding capacity. However, the flexible space also allows for group housing of puppies, small dogs and animals that arrived together.
The new facility is also designed with customer service in mind. Materials that mitigate excessive sound and odor and designs that allow for animals to express more normal behaviors are healthier for animals and are proven to increase adoptions.
The new facility has improved medical capacity allowing for more animals to be adopted and moved into their new homes more quickly.
The new animal services center will also have a multi-purpose room and public-access restrooms. These will be available for animal services programming as well as to be used by community groups in search of meeting space. Increased foot traffic and familiarity with the facility are proven to increase adoption rates. The facility has been designed encourage and facilitate participation from the community and volunteers, which is critically important to the success of the Animal Services Department.