Submitted by:
Swan Valley Animal
Protection League
The Swan Valley Animal Protection League is in the process of relocating their facility, complete with a new building approximately 60′ by 20′ in size, with indoor pens and cat runs, an office area, an intake/quarantine area, etc.
Some of our current buildings are getting to the point that they need replacing, and we have animals scattered in different buildings and pens. We determined that putting up a new building, that would house most/all of our animals, would be the best and easiest course of action. We have also been on private property for a number of years, and we felt it was time to give the owner her privacy back.
Spruce Products very generously donated a portion of their land across from the mill to us, so we will be very close to town but still in a rural setting, which is great! We actually had other offers of land as well, but this seemed to be the best suited for our needs.
This location would be closer to town, making it easier and more convenient for volunteers and employees to attend to the shelter’s needs. The same goes for the public, it is easier to access when it is closer to town. Hopefully more people will volunteer for things like dog walking or cat cuddling if it is close enough to zip out within minutes. We will also have less to worry about with things like rural roads being blocked in the winter. The animals depend on us to be able to access the shelter 24/7 if necessary. There aren’t any nearby neighbors to be bothered by dogs barking. We will also be able to start fresh, and set things up in a way that will flow better for the workers. Being indoors in one building will mean less work and time spent for volunteers and employees as well. Having all the animals in one building will enable us to have a more secure facility too.
The target is to be wholly or partially ready enough to move to the new location by October 1, 2019. Anyone with building experience that is willing to offer their services would be a great start. We will need to put the building up along with all that entails; including electrical, plumbing, framing, roofing, cement, foundation work, etc. Exercise pens will need to be built, so posts will have to be installed and fencing put up.
We will need people to help us move too, so anyone with the ability and equipment to move our smaller buildings to the new location would be a welcome addition. Any donations of goods required or monetary donations would be greatly appreciated!
We are lucky enough to have Dave Theunissen heading up this project, and he has been hard at work arranging everything. People can attend our monthly meeting, contact us by calling and leaving us a message at 1-888-212-6385 if they think they can help us out with this in any way.