New expanded purpose-built animal shelter opens in Richmond
Lost and abandoned pets looking for a reunion with their owners or a fur-ever home in Richmond now have a new purpose-built animal shelter for their temporary needs.
The new BC SPCA shelter at 12071 No. 5 Road recently opened at a cost of about $5.6 million, funded by the City of Richmond.
With a floor area of about 6,200 sq ft, the new facility is more than one-third larger than the previous 1970s-built facility, with the ability to provide shelter for up to 17 dogs, 40 cats, and rabbits and other small animals.
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The shelter is designed with the latest best practices and features for comfortable and safe care and to minimize the stress of animals, including heated floors within the kennels, solatube lighting to bring natural light into the kennels, and hygienic drain and cleaning systems.
New BC SPCA Richmond Animal Shelter. (City of Richmond)
New BC SPCA Richmond Animal Shelter. (City of Richmond)
The facility also entails isolation areas for sick and injured animals to limit disease or cross-contamination, separate housing areas for animals with behaviour concerns, separate food preparation area, and an outdoor fenced area for farm animals such as chickens, roosters, and goats.
āThe new Richmond Animal Shelter integrates best practices in shelter design for the safe handling of stray and abandoned animals and we are pleased to partner with the BC SPCA on its operation,ā said Mayor Malcolm Brodie in a statement.
āWe know that many animals are more than just pets to people, so it is essential that we have a safe and comforting environment for animals while we seek to rehome them. This new shelter achieves that.ā
The municipal government and BC SPCA entered into an agreement for animal sheltering and control services in Richmond 2021, which stipulates the establishment of a new animal shelter for recovery and related services.
Earlier this month, the BC SPCA stated it now has over 1,500 animals looking for a home, as a result of falling interest in pet adoption in recent months. Adoptions spiked during the peak of the pandemic, when many people were isolated to their homes and sought pets for companionship. It should be noted that the increase in animals under the care of the BC SPCA is now due to any surge in surrendered animals.
New BC SPCA Richmond Animal Shelter. (City of Richmond)
New BC SPCA Richmond Animal Shelter. (City of Richmond)