Miami-Dade Animal Services Moving To Brand New Adoption & Protection Center
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Miami-Dade Animal Services is em-barking – pardon the pun – on an exciting new chapter.
As the county's only "open shelter," it must accept all lost, abused or unwanted animals that the public hands in.
It's put a major strain on the shelter, but all of that is about to change.
Hundreds of furry friends at Miami-Dade Animal Services in Medley are about to get a major home upgrade.
They're in the process of moving to a brand new animal adoption and protection center in Doral. It's set to open on Monday.
The nearly 70,000 square-foot state of the art facility is two and half times bigger than the current one.
Luis Cuellar is helping with the move.
"We're making sure that the dogs we're moving today don't have any adoption commitments or rescue commitments. They're healthy enough to go – already selected by our vet staff," he said.
He says they outgrew the old, dilapidated building about 30 years ago, and that the dogs have a lot to look forward to.
"It's going to be temperature controlled rooms. No more hot summers, no more cold winters, so from a standpoint just for comfort for the pets, it's what we're looking for," he said.
He also says the new shelter will be more hygienic and will cut down on cross contamination of diseases – something they struggled with before.
The new building will also have more amenities for customers to help boost adoptions.
The director of Miami-Dade Animal Services says it's been a long time coming.
"This is something that Mayor Gimenez and the county commission have stepped up and funded this building so that it would be built right. And it's been in the planning stages for over ten years and it's finally getting done," said Alex Munoz. "So having that leadership and the community support to deliver this facility is really what made it happen."
All of the dogs are still in need of permanent homes. If you're interested in adopting one, call (305) 884-1101.
