MENOMINEE — Adopting a cat or dog will be a calmer experience this fall.
Currently, the animals at the Menominee Animal Shelter, N184 Haggerson Court, Menominee, are living in close quarters, but a new expansion will help that.
“The happier the animals are, the faster they’ll get adopted,” said Nancy Holzberger, Board of Directors member for the Menominee Animal Shelter and previous manager for 19 years.
The nonprofit shelter is undertaking a 2,743-square-foot renovation this summer, which will wrap up around early September. It is currently 3,719 square feet.
The expansion of the shelter is the first significant change since its construction in 27 years, Holzberger said. Their philosophy is the same as when they opened all those years back.
“We had enough money to start, and we just really asked for community support and moved forward, and people came forward and made it happen,” Holzberger said. “We’re thinking our community cares enough about the pets, the animals in the area, and that they’re going to come forward.”
The new addition will provide 17 dog kennels out the back of the existing building. Dogs can access the outside freely instead of having to be leashed and taken outside individually by a team member. The new space will also feature a small indoor play area.
“It’s not a huge area, but it’s a better area,” Holzberger said.
While the addition won’t add many slots for more animals, it will significantly enhance their living quarters, fostering a comfy and less stressful atmosphere for the furry friends. This, in turn, will positively impact the staff’s working conditions, making their tasks more manageable and enjoyable.
Holzberger said dogs bark constantly in the shelter, which can stress out anyone trying to talk over the noise. The decibels don’t fail any tests for causing hearing damage, but they can be offputting.
“We’ve had kids come in here, and they just plug their ears and cry, and they have to leave because it’s so loud,” Holzberger said.
Not only that, but if a shelter cat isn’t used to dogs, it can stress them out, too.
“The more stress they’re under, they’re going to get sick, they’re going to stay here longer, and they’re just going to cower in a cage, and nobody can see what they’re actually like,” Holzberger said.
The shelter is asking for donations from the community to help fund its efforts.
“We do write the grants, but there’s not a lot of grants that cover some of the stuff,” Holzberger said.
Thirty percent of the shelter’s expenses are paid for by adoption fees and city and county payments, while another 30% is covered by fundraising. Memberships, memorial donations and other donations from businesses and individuals cover the other 40%.
“We’re really going to need a lot of community support,” Holzberger said.
The back offices, where they do their laundry and paperwork, are roughly the size of a few closets.
Victoria Vincent, operations manager, said the shelter has seen about 30,000 animals pass through its doors since its inception.
“For 27 years, we’ve been maintaining. It’s time,” Holzberger said.
Vincent said the first phase of renovations includes the expansion, while the second phase will incorporate the existing building, moving around offices and expanding out the area for cats.
Donations for the renovations will be accepted in tiers, with amounts for each tier yet to be determined by the board. Sponsorships will also extend to things like naming rights on doors in the facility and a wall of donors.
Holzberger said they will send a flyer asking for contributions from businesses and individuals on their mailing list and hold fundraisers to advance the project.
“We’re depending on our support of our community to stand behind us,” Holzberger said. “We’re going forward with it, and we have faith.”
People who would like to donate to the Menominee Animal Shelter can do so by visiting https://www.mashelter.org/ways-you-can-help.html, calling the shelter at 906-864-7297 or emailing manager@mashelter.org to arrange a donation pickup.
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