A New Chapter

This Old Shelter Has to Go!

The existing facility is well past the end of its useful life and presents serious risks related to animal isolation and air quality. It is cramped and requires far too much effort to maintain the necessary sanitation and cleaning standards. Maintenance costs have become unreasonable. Although air quality meets the minimum standard, the risk of airborne disease is high. Dog runs and exterior exercise areas are small and not nearly stimulating enough. Closet-sized rooms operate as medical exam spaces, and the cramped basement creates dark offices and bleak staff rooms. Every nook and cranny is used for storage. In short, this facility is busting at its seams!

Furthermore, despite the educational strides the SPCA has made, today’s demand is simply too high, resulting in a reliance on too many offsite supports and services. A new facility will take the pressure off intake waiting lists and reduce the stress on our loyal fostering volunteers, who are stretched at times to accommodate the needs of animals.

THE WAY HOME

The proposed new SPCA facility will be a modern 1,000 m2 (10,800 ft2) single story structure. Situated on a 1.5 acre lot with additional adjacent undeveloped land, the facility will have adequate space for the trails, training and exercise areas envisioned for shelter animals and to host the public. Located near the existing SPCA shelter on the north side of Torbay Airport, this once isolated area is seeing rapid re-development and will soon be connected to the Hebron Way extension and bus routes, maximizing the ability for volunteers and adopters to access the facility. A play and socialization area where visitors can begin to bond with animals is central to the SPCA vision. The new facility will incorporate a spacious 84 m2 (900 ft2) adoption lobby. This welcoming and open space will mean more room for connection—and that can lead to more adoptions. In the off hours, the lobby will serve as a community room for public activities and engagement.

ADOPTION LOBBY NEW VETERINARY CLINIC

An in-house veterinarian and clinic with surgery, X-ray, and laboratory testing reduces treatment bottlenecks and costs in both our testing and spay and neuter programs, allowing the SPCA St. John’s to do more for animals and lower-income pet owners.

In With the New!

Modern animal shelters have evolved to become facilities that do more than efficiently house intake animals. By emphasizing the value of public engagement and providing community spaces (inside and out) for education, training, and community events, these facilities become a more self-sustaining and integrated part of the community.

Appropriate plans and equipment will provide the operational efficiencies needed to free up time for staff and volunteers to expand their efforts on direct animal care, on socialization, and on public education—including being able to accommodate more volunteers and visitors beyond the 400 they typically see each month.

With greater emphasis on socialization and adoption areas, the high volume of adoptions the SPCA currently handles will be sustainable in the face of growing demand.

SEPARATED CAT AND DOG ADOPTION ROOMS VOLUNTEER AND TRAINING ROOM SAFE INTAKE AND ISOLATION AREAS PROPER VENTILATION

Separated cat and dog adoption areas reduce animal stress and have rooms that emulate a home environment. They also offer the pet and the prospective owner a more realistic sense of what living together will be like. With a spacious 56 m2 (600 ft2) volunteer work and training room, more volunteers and team- building activities involving animal care and socialization can take place. This space will double as a much-needed boardroom. These areas are essential because bringing a new animal into a shelter is stressful for them and not without risks to the existing animal population. To ease the intake process and win an animal’s trust, it is important to be able to properly isolate and transition them. A modern, properly zoned ventilation and heating system will reduce costs. More importantly, it will allow for separate intake areas to isolate sick animals and minimize the risk of airborne disease outbreaks.