WEST OLIVE, Mich. — After two years of planning, Harbor Humane Society broke ground on a new $3.6 million, 5,500-square-foot adoption center in West Olive.
The new building will sit next to the current facility, which will also undergo renovations — including the replacement of its HVAC system. All adoptable animals will be housed in the new center, with the existing building repurposed for back-of-house operations.
"We take in around three to 4,000 animals every year. Currently, between our facility and our foster homes, we have over 250 animals in our care, and definitely, you know, summer is one of the busier seasons," Harbor Humane Society Executive Director Jen Self-Aulgur said.
The current building will continue to serve as the hub for admissions and kennel staff operations. The new center will also feature outdoor spaces, including an adoption garden, a Rainbow Bridge, and a walking trail.
The nonprofit plans to handle dog adoptions differently in the new facility.
"We will have a few dog cages in our adoption building to showcase dogs who like being seen and like having people walk by them, but too often it really stresses the dogs out to have people walking by every day," Self-Aulgur said.
Virtual meet-and-greets will be introduced to help reduce that stress.
"[To] be able to support the animals that are in our care, support their mental health and their well-being better, and we believe that that will lead to shorter length of stays for them," Self-Aulgur said.
Harbor Humane Society has raised approximately half of its $3.6 million fundraising goal and is still accepting donations. The organization hopes to open the new center by the end of this year or early next year, after which renovations on the current building will begin.
"By the end of this year, early next year, we'll be doing a ribbon cutting ceremony, and then as soon as this building's finished, we'll start the renovations on our current building," Self-Aulgur said.
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