Broward Has New Animal Shelter & It's Something To Boast About
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- Broward County has a new shelter to keep pets waiting to find a "fur-ever" home.
At the Broward County Animal Care Adoption Center, that opens to the public on Tuesday, more than 500 dogs and cats will have a temporary home as they wait to be adopted by a loving owner. That's twice the size of the current shelter they're in.
"This shelter is not quite a spa, but close enough. It's very comfortable, very modern. It's all air-conditioned. Our old shelter was not air-conditioned, part of it. So in the heat of the summer, it was not a pleasant place to be," said Lisa Mendheim with Animal Care and Adoption.
The new center has air-conditioned kennels, meet and greet adoption rooms and an outdoor pet interaction area so those looking can play with their possible pet.
There's also a huge new cat adoption area where they're able to roam free in large pens.
It gives families, like Nicole Raffa and her son Kaleb, a better chance to interact with the animals.
"He loves cats. One of the words he can say is kitty. He calls the kitties. He loves the cats," said Nicole Raffa.
The new shelter at 2400 SW 42nd Street is across from the long-term parking lot for Broward County's Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
The shelter's goal is to be a "kill free" facility. Now 76 % of the animals that come into the shelter find homes.
As Broward Animal Care and Adoption moves to its new home, it's touting its high "save rate." Fewer cats are taken in. That "return to field" program means fewer healthy cats are euthanized because of overpopulation.
"Cats that we take in, that are healthy, they're outdoor cats. They're sterilized and returned back to the place they were impounded," said Thomas Adair with Broward Animal Care and Adoption.
You can also find all kinds of animals at the center including a 30-pound cat.
Broward Animal Care and Adoption has a grand opening special. All adoptions between Tuesday and Sunday are free.
