It is moving day for the Regina Humane Society (RHS), after spending 60 years in their current animal centre.
After a decade of planning and two years of construction, RHS said hello to their new facility at 4900 Parliament Avenue.
For Lisa Koch, the RHS executive director, it was a bittersweet moment seeing the animal enclosures empty at the Armour Road location.
But with the current RHS facility falling apart and an overall lack of space, it was time to move on. The new building is twice the size and will provide a much better home for animals until they can find their forever home.
“It’s a journey that been over a decade in the making and arriving here with our animals for the very first time… there were a lot of tears,” Koch said. “We would not have this facility if it was not for the people in our community who helped to build it.”
The space is not designed to house more animals than the current facility, but rather provide education and outreach programs.
The new facility includes dog and cat adoption galleries, a classroom as well as a new features like video screens telling you more about the animals in the kennels.
“We have two dog size parks, an adopt shop that supports our adoptions and a full function veterinary clinic to support the health of animals in the humane society,” Koch said.
Animals living at the Animal Community Centre will be able to spend time outside in a three-season patio for cats and a large dog park behind the building. There’s also “pet plaza” area in front of the building, which will serve as an outdoor education space.
Construction of the facility began two years ago and cost 28 million dollars to complete.
Koch said RHS still has $1 million left to raise to fully pay off the bill, but the new location is now open for everyone with two legs and four to enjoy.