For many years and still today, taking a stray dog off the streets of Newcastle meant placing that dog in a small outdoor cage, free of the elements only by the facility’s covered roof.
That’s if the animal was fortunate enough to have space — since the current animal shelter can only hold 10 animals.
Early next year that will no longer be the case. The City of Newcastle recently announced that the new animal shelter is anticipated to be complete in either January or February 2024.
City Manager Kevin Self said, “This is so much better and all the animals will be out of the extreme heat and cold.”
Self said the new facility has approximately 31 kennels for dogs inside, and there will be an open area with stackable, rollaway cages for cats.
He said there will be a room for placing animals when they are first brought to the facility so they can be watched for any possible sickness and to ensure they are kept from the general population.
To aid in moving the animals from the animal control vehicles to the shelter, the facility has a secure, controlled entryway on the northwest corner where the animal control officer can park and their vehicle seals off the room. By doing so, the animals have nowhere to go but inside the facility.
While the dogs are in the kennels, they will have access to an outside play area between the new shelter and the existing water department building. The kennels located down the south wall are outfitted with sliding doors, and the animals have access to the outside area where they can move around and get some exercise, Self said.
He added that the entire play area will be laid with a special type of synthetic turf that can be simply cleaned by washing it down and spraying it with a special disinfectant.
The facility will have a main entrance where the public can walk in the main building, and then there is a meet-andgreet room for those wishing to adopt animals.
Self said the brick on the building’s outside has been completed, and outer glass, of which there is a significant amount, was being installed last week. The contractors have done electrical work, grid ceilings, and are working on the “expansive” parking lot. Crews were also working last week on completing the exterior insulation finishing system on the building’s exterior. Self said this is a product similar to stucco.
The City Council and City staff have planned for the shelter to be built for the long term, to be able to serve the City’s needs into the future.
Self said, “The building can also be expanded to the west to add more kennels if needed. I think this facility will last the City a long time.”
