P.E.I. Humane Society preps for $2.9M renovation project

The P.E.I. Humane Society is planning for a $2.9-million renovation project to its Sherwood Road facility with about $1.6 millionalready raised through donations.

The design of the new facility will aim to help reduce animal stress, control disease and promote wellness,according to a newsrelease.

"We have more opportunity to get them out the door more quickly," said the P.E.I. HumaneSociety's executive director MarlaSomersall.

"Basically it means that our days of care as well as the medications and all of those kinds of things are reduced significantly by having a better facility for their care."

Increasing capacity isn't one of the main objectives for the renovation.

Changes for improvement

The renovation, called the Expanding our Paw Print project,is expectedto improve public space andadd a private area where individuals can surrender pets as well as adda full surgical suite with additional exercise and enrichment space throughout the building, the release said.

The revamp will also add new sick bays, recovery rooms and treatment facilities for sick and injured animals.

"We make it work right now, but [it would] be great to have more facilities," said Dr.RhondaMacDonaldwith the P.E.I. Humane Society.

"We could do bigger surgeries and address things in emergency situations faster because we'd have the equipment in the room to do that with."

These changes will aim to protect staff who are caring for animals in the shelter.Another focus of the project is to addbetter ventilation and more segregation for animals.Theplans also include a new heating system.

Relocating

Phase 1, which saw the construction of a new addition at the north end of the building, has already been completed.This allowedstaffto relocate from the basement to the new addition until Phase 2begins.

Fundraising for the second phase is still underway.

Phase 2 will require the staff to relocate and operate out of a temporary space for about a year while major construction to the building is completed, the release said.

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