Dogs, cats and a guinea pig move to new Everett Animal Shelter

Published 10:53 pm Wednesday, April 1, 2009

EVERETT — Tilford has had a rough week.

The beefy American bulldog was enjoying a brisk Saturday morning in Lynnwood when an animal control officer spotted him.

Tilford had no collar, no leash, no microchip implant.

He was an unidentified dog, walking the streets. He didn’t care that his actions were illegal. Tilford probably just wanted to exercise a bit of freedom.

What he didn’t know Saturday was that his incarceration meant he would be among the first to experience what Everett Animal Shelter officials call “new luxury suites” for stray, abandoned and lost dogs.

Tilford spent a few days in the old Everett Animal Shelter and on Wednesday got a free ride to the new shelter, where he now enjoys clear glass walls instead of bars, and a little extra space to move around.

“These are pretty fancy new digs,” said Lori Trask, an animal control officer with the Everett Animal Shelter.

Shelter workers and volunteers moved 38 dogs, eight cats and one guinea pig from the old shelter on 36th Avenue near Everett’s Lowell neighborhood to the new $6.4 million shelter on Smith Island Road in Everett.

By the time the new shelter is finished and an extra wing is added in June, it will be 19,000 square feet — more than double the size of the old shelter, said Kate Reardon, Everett city spokeswoman.

That’s a huge relief for shelter workers, who have struggled for years to handle an overwhelming flow of animals given up by their owners or picked up by animal control officers. The city of Everett handles strays and dangerous animals for unincorporated Snohomish County and nine cities throughout the county, in addition to the dogs, cats and other creatures that find themselves in limbo in Everett.

The old shelter had 60 dog kennels and 58 cat cages. The new shelter, including the wing currently under construction, will have 84 dog kennels and 58 cat cages.

All of the dogs available through the shelter last year were adopted, Reardon said. That’s likely to happen again this year, but the cats at the shelter need some help.

The new shelter is designed so people who visit walk through the cat area to find the dogs. Reardon said she hoped people will want to bring a cat home once they see it.

Waste from the shelter will be treated and used to heat the building, and specially designed windows will let in extra light and retain heat from the sun. Solar-powered lights also will help keep energy costs down.

The new shelter will also have an on-staff veterinarian, a pharmacy and surgery rooms.

The shelter’s grand opening will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 11.

Krista J. Kapralos: 425-339-3422, kkapralos@heraldnet.com.