The new Kamloops SPCA headquarters at 2816 Tranquille Road officially opened its doors today.
The 10,500 square foot facility cost $6.5-million and its located right next to the Kamloops airport.
Branch Manager Charlene Holloway says the new space is a wonderful, welcoming environment that was badly needed.
“I was at the old facility for nine years, and walking in, we did the best we could with the space we had,” she said. “Here you walk in, and you feel welcome, you feel at peace.”
“It is a wonderful way to welcome the community and welcome in animals that require our care and assistance.”
The Kamloops SPCA looks after over 1,300 animals each year, and Holloway adds the new facility is a 150 per cent improvement for them.
“The ability for them to go indoors and outdoors, not only for our dogs, but for our cats, which is improving their welfare and improves their stay here because we know that depression is a huge piece,” she said.
“It’s not even comparable to where we were. This is an amazing upgrade and animals will have a safe place to be.”
The centre features 12 dog kennels, five large cat rooms, isolation areas for sick and injured animals, a retail area for pet supplies, a dog-washing station for the public, office space for regional animal cruelty investigators, and a multi-purpose community room that will host dog training, youth camps and workshops.
With this new facility, Holloway says they’ll be able to move animals through faster.
“Our biggest goal is to not have them stay very long,” she noted. “That’s in their best welfare. So we do watch our capacity for bringing them in.”
“We have different spaces that allow us to control animals that come in that maybe require more behaviour challengers or medical challenges so that they can get the care they need separate from the other animals that are fast tracked for adoption.”
The facility will replace both the old shelter on Eighth Street and the spay and neuter clinic on Tranquille Road. The new spay and neuter Clinic was funded in part by a donation from PetSmart Charities.
“One of the biggest challenges was finding a parcel of land that really works for the city and works for the SPCA,” added BC SPCA CEO Craig Daniell. “Eventually, after many years of looking we found the parcel that we are on today.”
“Once you find the land, you are faced with the reality of raising they money, and that is not easy to do, but we did it with support from the folks here in Kamloops and all over BC.”
The province put $1.5-million towards the project, with the rest coming from a variety of donors.
And here’s the ribbon cutting at the @BCSPCA_Kamloops facility.@BC_SPCA @RadioNLNews #Kamloops pic.twitter.com/RsYWWCYTrG
— Victor Mario Kaisar (@supermario_47) April 5, 2019
Pretty much standing room only here at the @BCSPCA_Kamloops new HQ.
Lots of @cityofkamloops councillors here. #Kamloops @RadioNLNews pic.twitter.com/7vKoyS7R3T
— Victor Mario Kaisar (@supermario_47) April 5, 2019
