KALAMAZOO, Mich. — The Animal Rescue Project opened its new shelter about a month ago, significantly expanding its capacity to help pets in the Kalamazoo area find loving homes.
The new facility provides much more space for animals seeking adoption.
"At least two, maybe three times bigger," said Kevin Sampson, the Animal Rescue Project's volunteer coordinator.
The space functions as an overflow shelter, taking in animals that need longer-term care from municipal shelters to help create space in the system.
The new location is at 1616 Construction Drive.
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"We are the ones who will take in the longer term folks. Residents from the municipal shelters. We help get them open space," Sampson said.
The new facility represents two years of planning and fundraising through a capital campaign that raised roughly $2 million.
Find out more on how to donate here.
According to Sampson, facilities like the Animal Rescue Project fill a crucial need, particularly for animals from rural southern areas.
"For a lot of the down south spaces, there aren't the same infrastructure. There aren't the giant rescues. There aren't the big municipal shelters, in the rural areas — but they still have a lot of dogs," Sampson said.
Many of these dogs eventually make their way to Kalamazoo, often from challenging situations.
"Like the backyard breeding people may do to make money, because there aren't jobs. Or the people who try to help animals, but they get overwhelmed and it becomes a hoarding situation," Sampson said.
Every aspect of the new shelter was designed with the animals' wellbeing in mind, from industrial-sized washing machines to more spacious adoption rooms. Even the blue walls between pet kennels were chosen specifically to help keep the animals calmer.
These improvements all serve the mission of helping animals who cannot advocate for themselves.
"They can't talk for themselves, they can't help themselves. So someone has to be the one to step into that gap and give them a hand," Sampson said.
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