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SWEEPING PERFORMANCE: Members of the Métis dance group V’ni Dansi perform at an ArtStarts workshop at River Market. The free family workshops are held on the last Sunday of each month at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Up next is Andy the Musical Scientist on Sept. 29. See www.artstarts.com/events for details. PHOTO JENNIFER GAUTHIER
New $10-million animal shelter nearly complete Theresa McManus
tmcmanus@newwestrecord.ca
Moving day is approaching for the animals at the New Westminster Animal Shelter. The city’s new shelter and tow yard is under construction at 420 Boyne St. in Queensborough. Aaron Hilgerdenaar, supervisor of parking and animal services, said the new animal shelter is expected to open this October or November, with the exact date to be determined on final inspections and correction of any noted deficiencies.
“Animals in our care will benefit from the new, more advanced facility in many ways. Animals will have more space, a quieter environment, less exposure to other species, which can be stressful, and less chance of exposure to sick animals,” he said. “The new shelter will have separate air intake systems and isolation rooms for sick animals.” Hilgerdenaar said it’s hard to say how many animals the shelter will accommodate as it’s not just about capacity but also about the space required for caring for the animals.
“Even if there is physical space, we can only intake what we are able to properly care for with animal care staff,” he said. “There will be space for 15 dogs based on the number of kennels in the plans, but it is harder to predict the capacity for cats and small animals at this point; this will be dependent on the setup of cat condos and small animal spaces.” Along with the animals, Hilgerdenaar is confident the public will like the brand new facility. “The facility will be visitorfriendly with more space for peo-
ple to view the adoptable animals, which we anticipate will result in more frequent and efficient adoptions,” he said. “In the last three years we averaged 164 adoptions and 360 animals in our care on an annual basis (stray, impound, adoption etc.).” According to Hilgerdenaar, the current building is outdated and too small to service the growing city pet population. He said the shelter was built at a time when animal stays in the shelter were short, but long-term stays are more common today. “Additionally, the current setup
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