The Broward Pet Shelter held a groundbreaking ceremony for a new facility set to open next year.
In attendance were protesters from a group called Pets Broward dedicated to end killing in the county’s shelters.
They’re responding to a county commission resolution made in 2012 to stop shelter killings.
Tracy Paige is a volunteer for Pets Broward.
“There really has not been marketing efforts out in the community to get these pets adopted. The numbers of the pets that have been euthanized in the shelters is not anywhere near the no-kill resolution that the commissioners voted for over 36 months ago,” said Paige.
“We’re working on this, and we think that we’re taking a big step forward with this $15 million new animal care facility,” said Broward County Mayor Tim Ryan.
Lisa Mendheim is the public education coordinator for the shelter. She says that one of the reasons the current shelter overpopulates is because pet owners return animals that they can’t train.
“We’ll be able to have actual classes there at the shelter about pet care, training classes, things like that,” said Mendheim.
The new pet shelter will be almost twice the size of the old one. It is scheduled to open in one year.
