PORT ANGELES — Now settled into its new facility, the Olympic Peninsula Humane Society already has expanded into helping house animals from shelters around the nation.
Three hounds from a shelter in Florida arrived at the humane society shelter at 1743 Old Olympic Highway late Monday night, finishing a cross-country road trip that started last week.
Volunteers from around the nation took turns driving the dogs from Florida to Port Angeles, said Mary Beth Wegener, executive director of the humane society.
“Our vet has a friend that runs this rescue in Florida who basically tries to get dogs out of high-kill shelters,” she said.
“They connected and set up this transport to have these three hounds come here.”
This is a unique position for the humane society because the shelter has never been in a position where it could help others, she said.
“Our old place was horrible. It was small and we really couldn’t do much,” she said.
“Here, we have a lot more space. We thought if we could help another shelter, that would be pretty cool because we spent a long part of our history asking for help.”
The humane society constructed the new facility through about $1.4 million in donations collected throughout the past three years, Wegener said.
“It’s because we live in a community that really gets on board when they see a need,” she said.
“It wasn’t hard to convince people of the need. All you needed to do was go out to the old shelter.”
The humane society moved to the new location in April and opened in mid-May, she said.
The new facility sits on 9 acres of land and has separate buildings dedicated to dogs, cats, the offices and veterinary services.
The Bark House, which houses the dog kennels, is more than twice the size of the entire old facility, which housed dogs, cats and the office.
The building is about 5,000 square feet and has 40 kennels — 19 more than the old shelter had at 2105 W. U.S. Highway 101 west of Port Angeles.
Because of that increased space, Wegener said, the humane society has already contacted shelters in Eastern Washington, offering to house dogs in need.
“We just want to be a resource, and we can,” she said.
“It makes you feel good about what you do to be able to save more animals and get them into great homes.”
The Bark House has some amenities the previous dog kennels lacked, including a laundry room and a restroom with running water.
The laundry room is a luxury the humane society has never had before, Wegener said.
“It doesn’t seem like a big deal, but it’s a big deal to us,” she said.
The new site also has a modular building dedicated to cats, dubbed Kitty City.
Inside are several areas for cats waiting to be adopted and community rooms for cats that don’t mind being with other cats.
Cats that aren’t friendly with other felines also have their own space.
In the back is a fenced-off patio area, giving cats a chance for fresh air while also ensuring they don’t escape.
That area is called the Catio, Wegener said.
While the new facility is a major improvement over the previous shelter, Wegener said, there are still plans to expand.
Phase two calls for another permanent building to house cats, as well as veterinary services and an office area.
Construction on phase two will likely start in three to five years, she said.
With the increased acreage, Wegener also has plans for the shelter to accept horses, cows and other larger animals.
________
Reporter Jesse Major can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56250, or at jmajor@peninsuladailynews.com.
