The Connecticut Humane Society is opening a new animal shelter in Wilton, CT that will offer discount veterinary services as well as pet adoption services.
The 14,581 square-foot Pet Resource Center on Danbury Road cost more than $17.5 million to build.
It was paid for with $15.3 million in private contributions and the sale of the CT Humane Society’s former shelter in Westport, which brought in $3.5 million.
“The property there was pretty landlocked, we couldn't add any more square footage, we really couldn't add any more parking,” James Bias, executive director of The CT Humane Society, said.
Bias said they needed more space because the animal welfare group wanted to add a public medical clinic like their facility in Newington to help keep pets in their current homes.
“There might be a medical issue that needs to be addressed and they [the family] can't afford it,” Bias said. “We're hearing stories on a recurring basis, the cost of veterinary medicine is a reason why people are surrendering [their pets].”
The CHS Veterinary Clinic at the facility will offer reduced-fee services for vaccinations, spaying and neutering surgeries and other medical services.
The clinic now has dedicated space for blood testing equipment and their X-ray which had to be kept in a dog kennel at the Westport shelter because of a lack of space.
“Our exam rooms are designed a little bigger than most exam rooms,” Bias said. “Many of our clients bring the whole family with them, and so for us, it's a teachable moment as well.”
It is not income based and pet owners do not need to live in Fairfield County to use the clinic.
How the facility was conceived
Bias said a lot of smart minds contributed to the facility’s final design. From veterinarians, to staff, and architects who focus on building for animals.
“We utilized a group out of Colorado called Animal Arts, and they're the number one Veterinary Clinic designer, number one shelter designer. This has components of both in a very strong way,” he said.
For example, there are drains throughout the facility and all the floors have a very slight slope towards them for quick clean ups. “Most of the features are all designed where we can hose down, if not daily, on a regular basis,” Bias said.
All of the cat areas include solar tubes in the ceiling because Bias said felines are “very sensitive creatures who are tuned into light cycles”. Shelter visitors will also see a lot of vertical space for cats to go up and down, because Bias said “that's what cats like to do.”
For the dogs, the outside fenced in play area is paved with interlocking rubber bricks that can be disinfected and cleaned and doesn’t heat up as much as artificial turf.Bias said they’ve switched to an appointment system for people looking to meet a dog to keep the dogs’ stress down.
“We don't have that, just walk up and down the aisles like a grocery store, [because] studies indicate dopamine levels really are heightened for dogs that are just dealing with constant strangers,” Bias said.
The CT Humane Society staff noticed this first hand during the COVID-19 pandemic because the dogs barked a lot less.
“When we started shutting our buildings down and went to appointments only, it got quiet in the shelter,” Bias said.
The Wilton facility is not yet 100% finished but Bias said they are aiming to fully open to the public sometime in September.
