KINGMAN – Scores of dogs and cats will soon abandon weathered and worn-out kennels at a dilapidated downtown Kingman facility to transition to more comfortable confinement at Mohave County’s brand-new animal shelter at 3629 Burbank St. Woodruff Construction is wrapping up its year-long building campaign and will turn the 9,000 sq. ft. facility over to Animal Shelter Director Nicole Mangiameli at a date uncertain later this month.
Staff has engaged in planning for the mid-to-late April move to the new shelter.
“Our goal would be completing the move in one working day. We have our volunteers with their own vehicles that are willing to help. We have our two county vans,” said Mohave County Administrative services Director Erin Shrecengost. “We also have our counterparts with animal control for both the city and the county working with us.”
The logistics of the transition are somewhat simplified because the move involves mostly animals and supplies while most of the furnishings will be left behind at the old shelter. A public dedication of the new facility will be held sometime in May.
“What we want to do is get everyone situated and we want all the animals to get comfortable,” Shrecengost said. “We want to get comfortable in our day-to-day operations and then have a great ribbon-cutting for the public with speeches and thanking the community and the people can come in and actually tour the facility with us.”
Its population varies, but Shrecengost said the shelter typically houses about 80 dogs and 45 cats on an average day. They’ll find gleaming kennels, outdoor play areas and designated locations for intake, cleansing and getting acquainted with potential adopters at the new shelter.
“Aside from just being a brand-new facility and much nicer than what we’re currently in, it has so much light in it. We’ll have dogs and cats on display when you walk into the lobby. We have a cat community room where cats can roam freely and people can pull out a cat and get to know them one on one,” Shrecengost said. “The environment for the animals is going to be such a change in a positive way. We’re going to have about five play yards for the dogs. I mean it’s going to be night and day from what they’re currently in.”
Shrecengost said the shelter very much appreciates and thrives upon community support in the form of volunteers and donations of money and supplies to boost operations.
Dave Hawkins
