After more than three years of planning, the Animal Welfare Department has finally broken ground on a new Eastside Animal Shelter that not only means improvements in customer service and in conditions and displays for pets, but also in increasing the amount of spaying/neutering done at the Shelter. A bond issue approved by Albuquerque voters in 2007 is financing the $5 million project, which will enlarge the present facility by about a third; to 32-Thousand square feet.
“I am grateful that Albuquerque voters recognized the shelter needed updating” says Mayor Martin J. Chávez, “and I think they’ll be pleased with the new, more modern facility that will benefit adopters and pets alike.”
   The shelter’s new design is based on ideas from modern shelter designs. It will feature, when finished, a more customer-friendly lobby in which pets will be on display in self-contained enclosures. More customer service windows will also cut down on wait times. A new, larger surgical facility will feature six (instead of the current two) operating tables to handle an increased volume of spaying/neutering, thereby cutting down even more on the number of stray pets in the city. The dog kennels and Cattery will also be improved for sanitation, to relieve the stress of the pets and to reduce the incidence of disease. Even the entrances and courtyard will feature new, open and more customer-accessible designs.
   Despite the construction, people should not be discouraged from coming to the Eastside shelter to adopt. Two, modular units with wheelchair access and restrooms will be in place to handle adoptions and shelter business.  The customer service lobby should be open by this fall, with the entire facility ready by next Spring.  Jeanine L. Patterson, RN, MS, Director of Animal Welfare says “We want taxpayers to know we’re putting their money to good use. The whole purpose of this project boils down to increasing adoptions, decreasing disease, increasing spaying and neutering to reduce the number of stray pets, and improving customer service. What we’re trying to do is make pets and customers more comfortable. We no longer want people to ever think of our place as ‘the pound'."

Groundbreaking at Eastside Shelter