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New  Dearborn Animal Shelter Facility
"Our Friends’ New Home"

“The true measure of any society can be how well its people treats its animals.”
                                               –       Mohandas Gandhi

The Friends For the Dearborn Animal Shelter (the Friends), in partnership with the City of Dearborn, Ford Motor Company, and Lawrence Technological University, has undertaken the completion of a new, state-of-the-art animal adoption and education facility.

 Current Facility

There are numerous compelling reasons to construct a new facility. The most important concerns are that the current facility is:

• Inadequate to provide a healthy environment for the animals (poor air exchange, poor sewage disposal, porous housing materials)

• Insufficient to provide a positive experience for visiting members of the community (unappealing location, crowded conditions, high noise and odor levels, no get-acquainted or counseling areas)

• Very difficult for the staff and volunteers to work in (constrained and difficult work areas and limited storage space)

• 26 years old and in need of major and most probably increasingly expensive repairs

New Facility Advantages, Location, and Design

A new facility would have many advantages. It would:  

The planned new facility is being located and designed to alleviate the above issues. The designated location is the property south of the Henry Ford Centennial Library. An initial conceptual design for this property was developed by ARQ Architects (LEED - Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design - certified) and was reviewed with city officials (Mayor, City Council, Chief of Police), and groups of concerned citizens, volunteers, and Shelter staff. The design has been very positively received.

 Proposed Funding and Timeline  

The Friends organization has undertaken a major capital fundraising campaign of private, corporate, and foundation funds in partnership with the City to obtain the estimated $5 million needed to complete this project ($4 million for construction and a $1 million endowment goal). The target for groundbreaking is 2011.

 Governance  

A joint Governing Board made up of City officials and Friends members has been established to provide direction and oversight for this project. An Advisory Board of interested citizens provides insight, opinions, advocacy, and financial assistance.