Humane Society of Pinellas prepares to break ground on new adoption center

After 70 years in its current facility, the Humane Society of Pinellas is scheduled to break ground on a state-of-the-art adoption center in December. 

The new 15,000-square-foot adoption center will be the first of two new buildings the Humane Society will construct over the next year, thanks to a $4 million donation from a local family. It is slated to open in July 2021. Construction on the second building, which will serve as a medical facility and pet hospital, will begin once the adoption center is completed. Both will be built to Category 5 hurricane standards and will have generators.

“We’re very much limited by having such an old facility so we’re very excited about this,” said Humane Society CEO Jeff Voelpel, noting that plans to construct the new facilities have been in the works for several years now.

The Humane Society has been functioning at half capacity since Hurricane Irma hit in 2017, causing heavy damage to the already antiquated facilities. 

“That’s the biggest negative to the current location to only have outdoor facilities,” Voelpel said. “We’re all bothered about having to keep the animals outside. Our goal is to get them into the air conditioning as soon as possible.”

When construction on the new facility begins next month, nearly all the buildings on the campus will be torn down, minus three small buildings in the back. When complete, the new adoption center will feature 12,000 square feet of space that will house dogs, cats and other small animals, increasing the shelter’s capacity by half. It will also have a salon where members of the community can bring their animals for grooming, with proceeds going to fund the shelter and its mission. The remaining 3,000 square feet will serve as administrative offices.

“Right now, we operate in a piecemeal campus,” Voelpel said. “This will allow us to collaborate more.”

The second building will also be 15,000 square feet, the majority of which will be dedicated to medical procedures such as spaying and neutering. There will also be space for animal intake and housing. The rest of the building will house the Pet Hospital of Pinellas, which the Humane Society currently operates at a facility near its campus. The two units will share diagnostic equipment and staff to allocate resources more efficiently, Voelpel said.

As for the near future, Voelpel doesn’t anticipate the construction impacting the shelter’s ability to take in animals and expects things to stay consistent in terms of adoptions. In a previous interview with the Catalyst, Voelpel said that animal adoptions have been up this year, which he believed is related to the pandemic. 

“So many of us are now working from home and many people might be looking for companionship,” he said. “Plus, there’s the convenience factor. It’s a lot easier to deal with a new family pet, especially a puppy, when you’re home a lot.”

While more animals have found homes this year, fundraising continues to be a challenge. The Humane Society, which relies on donations for about half of its operating budget, has been forced to cancel a number of events. It’s also more difficult to meet with donors. Voelpel said there are plans in the work to launch a capital campaign soon, with some of the money going toward the new facilities. To donate to the Humane Society, click here.