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City to build $5M state-of-the-art shelter and office building for Animal Care & Control; announces site
City to build $5M state-of-the-art shelter and office building for Animal Care & Control; announces site
- The modern new facility at Russell and Ferry to more than double the current space and number of kennels
- Construction of new 30,000-square-foot shelter and offices to cap off a long list of recent operational improvements
- More capacity means fewer dogs roaming the streets, more finding forever homes
- Construction is expected to begin early next year, take 18 months to complete
DETROIT - City officials today announced plans for a new, large and state-of-the-art animal shelter and office building for Detroit Animal Care and Control. The $5 million facility will be located at Ferry and Russell roads, near the county’s new criminal justice complex.
The new 30,000-square-foot building will provide nearly twice the space as DACC’s current antiquated 16,000-square-foot headquarters and shelter. It will include 200 kennels (up from 86 currently) to significantly expand its capacity for boarding dogs and cats it takes in and have larger outdoor areas for dog runs. It also will include a modern new veterinary medical clinic with better amenities and more space to allow Detroit Animal Care to provide a higher level of care and treatment.
In announcing the plan, Mayor Mike Duggan acknowledged the staff of DACC for the great progress they have made recently under difficult conditions.
“The team at Animal Care and Control have done tremendous work to pick up more loose dogs, educate pet owners and significantly increase their live release rate,” said Mayor Mike Duggan. “The one thing that has been missing is a new facility. When this new shelter is completed, the DACC staff, as well as residents and animals will have the type of first-class facility they deserve.”
Plans call for the complete overhaul – inside and out – of the existing building at 5700 Russell, which most recently has been used for office space for the Greater Detroit Resource Recovery Authority (GDRAA). It also will include an expansion of the building that will house the kennels and have the highest level of air filtration and draining systems needed for this type of facility.
This plan for an entirely new facility replaces a previously announced plan to renovate the current facility and add modular office and veterinary space behind it.
“During the Covid pause, we had a chance to take a breath and really look at what we needed and what our options were, and we all agreed a new facility was the right approach,” said Group Executive for Services and Infrastructure, Brad Dick. “It will take a little longer, but this will allow us to finally and completely address every challenge the current facility now faces.”
Building on recent progress
The new facility will be the culmination of a series of major operational improvements made within Animal Care and Animal Control in recent years.
The control side of the operation’s top priority is to make sure residents are safe with the implementation of an upgraded process for reporting loose animals, preventing dog bites and the city’s response to those situations. In the past two years, seven additional inspectors were added, each responsible for a specific city council district.
The animal care side of the operation has focused on the sheltering and care of animals, pet vaccinations and licensing, as well as pet adoption efforts.
“We have made great strides in getting more dogs off the streets, more dogs licensed, improved care for shelter animals and achieving ‘no kill’ status despite the pandemic,” said Detroit Chief Public Health Officer Denise Fair Razo. “More dogs are finding new homes than ever before in the history of Detroit.”
No-Kill Shelter since April 2020
Since the beginning of 2020, Detroit Animal Care Shelter has retained its ‘no-kill shelter’ status with a 93% Live Release Rate this year. The shelter’s continued focus on medical care, adoption events, and agreements with multiple rescues resulting in transfers have added to the increase of the live release rate. Detroit Animal Care hosts adoption events regularly, at least two a month, to help get animals into loving homes. In the past six months, nearly 1,000 dogs and 270 cats have been adopted out.
The ability to transfer dogs to avoid overcrowding and get medical help when needed from our rescue and shelter partners has been essential to the success DACC has seen thus far. More than 1,000 dogs have been transferred this year.
“Animal Care has seen significant improvements focusing on key priorities, including increasing the number of licensed dogs, improved care for shelter animals achieving ‘no kill’ status despite the pandemic,” said Detroit Animal Care Director Mark Kumpf. “More dogs are finding their new home today than at any previous time in the history of our city’s municipal shelter.
Since 2017, the City has increased the DACC budget by more than $1 million to continue to make Detroit Animal Care and Control a priority.
Here is a breakdown of the improvements of DACC in past two years:
Customer Service
- Expanding Animal Control operations to 7 AM - 7 PM, seven days a week
- The city launched (313) 922-DOGS, a hotline supported by an expanded call center that is also staffed 7 AM – 7 PM, seven days a week to respond to complaints and answer customer questions. Last month, the call line took over 6,000 calls
- Spayed/Neutered more than 2500 dogs and cats since June 2020
- Expanded outreach and awareness about dog owner responsibility, as well as licensing and adoption opportunities through the paid marketing campaign
- Clinics to provide free vaccine, rabies, licenses, and microchips
Additional Staff
- Hired two experienced veterinarians
- Expanded staff for both field and care – 20 Animal Care technicians and 9 additional Animal Control Officers to faster response
- Added seven Animal Control Investigators – one for each city council district to respond to citizen complaints and provide educational awareness
Facility Investments:
- Opened veterinary clinic in June 2020 through a grant from the Two Seven Oh foundation
- Digital X-ray machine sponsored by Friends of Detroit Animal Care and Control
- Advanced surgical clinic with state-of-the-art equipment
- Dental Procedure machine
- Blood Analyzer Equipment for in house laboratory
- Anesthesia machines
- Autoclave sterilizers
- New commercial washer and dryer for operations
DACC is calling on all Detroit residents who own dogs to help by making sure their animals are secured, vaccinated against rabies, have a license and microchipped. For anyone interested in fostering or adopting an animal, go to the Detroit Animal Care shelter located at 7401 Chrysler Drive from 11AM-3 PM seven days a week or visit [email protected].
