PORT ANGELES — The adoption of a now-cherished dog has led to a large gift for the Olympic Peninsula Humane Society.
The humane society received a gift of annuities totaling about $80,000 from an anonymous couple in Sequim to help fund the construction of the new dog kennels at its 9-acre property at 1745 Old Olympic Highway, Mary Beth Wegener, executive director of the organization, announced last week.
The donation, which will go primarily to the dog kennel, was made in December to the shelter’s Dig Deep campaign to honor a rescue dog adopted by the couple’s daughter, Wegener said.
The couple who donated the funds said that when their daughter adopted a Great Pyrenees mix named Titus, the experience left a deep impression on them, according to Wegener.
The mother in the couple had been afraid of dogs, but Titus’s sweet disposition has won her over, Wegener said.
“She loves dogs now. It is a typical rescue-dog story,” she said.
To recognize the donation — one of the largest donations made to the group’s building fund — some part of the new dog kennel will be named for Titus, Wegener said.
While the donors told Wegener that Titus did not come from the Olympic Peninsula Humane Society, based at 2105 W. U.S. Highway 101 west of Port Angeles, they chose to make the donation to their local organization in his honor.
This gift brings the total funds raised for Dig Deep to $1.13 million — $300,000 short of the goal of $1.43 million to complete the first phase of the new shelter facility.
The Old Olympic Highway property was purchased for $325,000 in October 2012, and the loan was repaid in full in June 2013, according to Wegener.
All Dig Deep funds will be used to help complete construction of the dog kennel building and other improvements at the new site.
The shelter is expected to be open sometime between August and October, Wegener said.
“It depends on the weather,” she said.
Phase 1 of the project includes the construction of a large dog kennel and the temporary conversion of three existing modular houses into cat kennels, a veterinary office and administrative offices.
Construction of the 5,500 square-foot dog kennels began in early January.
Hoch Construction is the general contractor for the kennel construction. Lindberg and Smith Architects is the architect and project manager.
The building will house 40 indoor-outdoor kennels, a grooming area, and space for additional kennels to be constructed as needed.
The humane society’s present home has 28 indoor-only kennels, with disconnected outdoor runs.
A temporary “cat house” will be set up in one of the three existing houses on the property to approximate a home with cat-friendly furniture and a minimum of individual cat cages, so that adoptable cats can interact with potential adopters in a more natural setting, Wegener said.
Remodels of the modular houses will be done by volunteers and are not part of the construction project, she said.
The kitchen will remain in place to prepare meals for the cats, as well to serve as a place to store medication.
Wide counter tops will provide a location for medical exams without having to remove the cats from the building.
Volunteer labor and donations of materials are needed to install easy-care tile or linoleum flooring, new paint and to restructure the buildings for their new purposes, Wegener said.
She said volunteers are working on a plan to build an outdoor porch enclosure at the cat facility so cats waiting for adoption can enjoy fresh air.
An existing barn on the property will be used for farm animals and storage.
Phase 2 is expected to begin about three years after Phase 1 is complete.
It will include the construction of a cattery and a small veterinary hospital to treat sheltered animals on-site and to provide low-cost clinics.
Existing modular houses will be removed as permanent structures are completed.
More than 2,000 animals annually pass through the current Humane Society kennels.
The 2,900 square-foot shelter built in 1956 was built for smaller populations and has room for 70 cats and 28 dogs at a time.
As of Tuesday, the shelter housed 87 cats and 26 dogs.
The human society is a private, nonprofit corporation, financed primarily by private donations and gifts.
For more information, to donate to the Dig Deep campaign or to volunteer, phone 360-457-8206.
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Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5070, or at arice@peninsuladailynews.com.
