Miami-Dade County officials, including Mayor Carlos Gimenez, Commission chairman Jean Monestime and other Commissioners, hosted the grand opening on June 13 of the Animal Services Pet Adoption and Protection Center in Doral.
The new facility has set a new standard for animal rescue and care by focusing on providing a comfortable, relaxed environment for homeless pets, and enhancing the customer experience. Located on almost 5 acres, the facility is the first rescue and protection center of its scale to open in Miami-Dade, and surpasses the standard requirements of any shelter in the USA.
“We have built the best facility to ensure every pet gets adopted, offer more low-cost spay/neuter services and enrich our life-saving programs,” said Gimenez.
Advanced medical technology and equipment complement the skilled surgeons and support staff, and an open floor plan increases efficiency and maximizes surgical flow. The expanded surgical suites and a streamlined pre-admission process enhance and support high-quality, high-volume spay/neuter services.
“Completion of this new center increases surgical capacity by more than 50 percent,” said Alex Muñoz, Animal Services Department director. “Accessible and affordable spay/neuter surgeries are an important component in the efforts towards no kill goals,” he added.
Dog housing has been increased by more than 25 percent and cat housing is almost double in the modern mall-like layout that was retrofitted and renovated in an existing building on the site.
The entire facility is climate controlled making it the largest air-conditioned animal shelter in the country. The air conditioning system is designed to control cross contamination of disease, with six air changes per hour in the canine/feline adoption suites facilitating ventilation of fresh outside air, mitigating odors and reducing the spread of disease.
Tara C. Smith, director of Miami-Dade’s Internal Services department, said, “We created an environment that is inviting to families, where they can come find their ‘furever friend,’ as well as a place of protection for our furry residents.”
Full services are now available at the new location, 3599 N.W. 79 Avenue, in Doral.