Exclusive Tour Of The New Palm Springs Animal Shelter

The old Palm Springs animal shelter has been around since the 1960s.

The staff who help run the place said there is no room to hold the number of animals that come in.

Some, like kittens, are kept in the lobby in small kennels until some space becomes available.

At the new shelter, just down the street, this won’t be an issue, they said, since the animals will have 70 kennels to use compared to the 12 they have now.

They will also have a new clinic and grooming salon that will be run by volunteers. That way the animals won’t have to be transported out to be treated.

The new facility will also have separate areas for cats and dogs, as well as an isolated area only for those animals that are sick to prevent the spread of disease.

Allen Smoot works with the city of Palm Springs as the project manager and says the $7.9 million building is badly needed.

“The importance is the overcrowding and the very sad state of affairs at the old shelter,” said Smoot.

Hugh Wright is the animal control officer for the Palm Springs animal shelter, and he says the new building will have enough room to hold animals for the next 50 years.

The shelter will be a “no-kill” shelter, but many people wonder if overcrowding affected the shelter’s decisions on euthanizing.

“We hang on to everybody except the very sick, injured, aggressive animals that cannot be placed, so those unfortunately have to be euthanized because of whatever reason, ” added Wright.

The city taxpayers helped pay for the new shelter, and the rest came from fundraising efforts.

Besides being good for the animals, the building will also be good for the environment. There are solar tubes to bring in natural light and reclaimed water will be used for irrigation and cleaning.

The new 20,000 square feet shelter is set to open next month.