LANSING, Mich. — The Capital Area Humane Society was built 20 years ago, so it's time for a PUP-grade.
"Right now we're kind of in the middle of a renovation to our kitten adoption area, so when folks come into the shelter, they're going to notice a little bit of chaos," said President and CEO of the Capital Area Humane Society Julia Willson.
She's hoping it will be wrapped up by June, just in time for kitten season.
"What we're going to be doing is designing spaces that are more comfortable for the kitties. So, there are going to be rooms instead of cages that actual patrons, or folks visiting, wanting to adopt, can go right into those spaces," Willson said. "It's going to feel safer for the kittens, a little more home-like environment, too, which we really love in the sheltering world."
But they aren't just going to make the kitten area look "purr-fect."
It's actually just one element in the $2.5 million second phase of their comprehensive ten-year renovation plan, which started back in 2014 with their lobby and intake space.
"We're trying to chunk it out and do it in smaller pieces so we can stay open," Willson said. "We did a cruelty center in back, and we opened that in November when the kitten area's done, then we renovate the puppy area, and we're still fundraising for the dog area. We've raised $2.1 million."
The humane society started fundraising for the project's second phase in 2019 with plans to start building in 2020.
"And then most people know what happened in 2020, and we had a pandemic and our fundraising stopped and all our construction stopped and everything just came to a halt," Willson said. "Hopefully by the end of this year, 2022, we'll achieve the vision we had for 2020, just a little delayed."
The Capital Area Humane Society still needs $400,000 to complete renovations to the dog adoption area. Details on how to make an online donation can be found here.
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