Cracking layers of paint, cold, concrete floors and creaking kennel gates are nearly a thing of the past for animals in the care of the Regina Humane Society (RHS).

This year in 2023, the RHS will be moving into its new home at the Animal Community Centre after over 50 years of running Regina’s only all-animal shelter out of a small facility located just North of the city.

“The new building will be a complete game changer for the humane society,” said Bill Thorn, director of marketing and public relations for the RHS. “It will be much more comfortable for the animals and it will be very people-centred as well.”

According to Thorn, the RHS has outgrown its current facility. This sentiment is shared by volunteers and employees, who note the chipped paint, uneven floors, and ill-fitting kennels of their current home.

The new facility is built on over 10 years of progress in securing funding and designing the safest and most comfortable space for animals in need. Over $25 million has been raised through donations and fundraising as of the publishing of this article, with just $2 million away from the funding goal.

“We call it the Animal Community Centre because, while it’s certainly focused on animals, it’s also for people,” said Thorn.

The centre will be approximately twice the size of the current facility, to better incorporate space for community outreach and education.

“Education and outreach programming is largely designed to keep animals out of a shelter environment and works with people so that they are successful in living with their animals when they adopt, so that [animals] never have to enter a shelter in the first place,” said Thorn.

Some new features of the facility include three adjoining classroom spaces, communal areas, free-roaming spaces and outdoor “catios” for adoptable cats, individual suites for dogs fitted with waste disposal systems and an expansive veterinary and spay-and-neuter clinic space.

“It’s designed to be a destination,” said Thorn. “Kind of like the Science Centre for animals. There will be all kinds of learning moments and interactive things that people can do and be a part of. It’s certainly going to be more engaging in ways that we simply can’t do in our current facility. It’s going to offer us more opportunity to work with people.”

With the more accessible location and community orientation, there is also hope that the increased foot traffic will increase animal adoption.

“People will come in and see some animals. And perhaps if they’ve been thinking about adopting, it’s certainly going to help that,” said Thorn.

In 2022, the RHS adopted out 2,065 animals. As of January 21, it had already adopted out another 120, despite increasing costs of animal care.

The Animal Community Centre will be located at 4900 Parliament Ave. in Harbour Landing.

Construction on the Animal Community Centre began in 2022 and is set to finish this summer.

“It’s really going to be very bright and colourful and have lots of space to celebrate the human and animal bond,” said Thorn.

Feature image: Kennels at the current Regina Humane Society Facility, Jan. 21.