Miami County nonprofit wants to raise $7M for new animal shelter
Miami County Partners for Animal Welfare aims to raise $7 million dollars to construct a brand new county animal shelter and adoption center.
The nonprofit’s current shelter on North County Road in Troy opened in 1971. Since then, the needs have changed. It’s been a no-kill shelter for the past six years.
Since he started four years ago, shelter director Rob Craft said it didn’t take him long to realize they need a bigger space.
“Most of the spaces that we have here are multi-multi-functional not because we want them to be but just because we just literally don’t have enough space,” Craft said.
The new shelter will be able to house 48 dogs and 30 cats. That’s an increase from the current capacity of 33 dogs and 20 cats. It’ll also double the square footage from 6,000 to 13,000.
Earlier this month, the nonprofit recovered 77 cats from a house in Piqua — way beyond their current space. But the shelter workers don’t want to turn any animals away, Craft said.
They’re currently using pop-up crates in the garage to make it work.
“And that’s really difficult for both the animals and staff coming in every day. It’s just difficult to see when we leave in the evening and come back in the morning,” he said.
They’re also having to place sick cats in crates in one of their hallways.
The new shelter will include isolation spaces for sick animals, a new medical clinic, cat roaming areas and climate-controlled HVAC systems in each animal housing area.
Miami County Partners for Animal Welfare will host several fundraisers to reach their goal. That includes “Dine to Donate” events across the county and a sold-out lip sync competition on March 22.
Miami County commissioners approved giving the nonprofit $250,000 with remaining American Rescue Plan Act funds, and also gifted it a parcel down the road for the new shelter to be constructed on.
Shelter Planners of America have also drafted design plans for the new shelter. Marketing coordinator Joe Laber said they’ll start construction as soon as the funds are available.
“Everybody is going to build the shelter. It’s going to be built by the community and for the community,” Laber said.
They’ve raised $1.5 million as of Feb. 21.
