Delaware Humane Association's pet adoption center opens

The Delaware Humane Association has finished construction of its new building and moved in, with more than 100 dogs and cats available for adoption.

But to passersby, the new building is almost invisible.

That's because the site at 701 A St. in Wilmington looks like a hardcore construction zone, complete with heavy equipment.

Extensive landscaping and the parking lot can't be finished until warmer weather, so visitors and staff alike now must park along A Street.

A temporary banner – put up on the fence until the permanent, lighted sign can be installed after landscaping – got ripped by recent winds.

"We've been getting calls from people asking when we're going to open," Executive Director Patrick Carroll said.

"They think we're closed, but we're not," he said, "so we're trying to get the word out."

A new vision

Anyone who knew the old building will notice dramatic differences with just a step inside the new one.

Large windows let in lots of natural light and the air is deep-breathably clean and fresh, thanks to a hospital-quality ventilation system. Wood accents and splashes of color add to the relaxed, comfortable atmosphere.

The building is well-organized, with a reception area soon to be decorated with photos of animal alumni and a donor recognition wall. An adjoining room serves as a year-round pet food pantry.

Nearby is the area for incoming animals and it, in turn, is near isolation rooms for animals awaiting medical examination or recovering from illnesses.

The main animal housing areas, however, show the most-dramatic improvement.

There are four large rooms where many cats live and play, with outdoor cat patios, or "catios," for use as weather allows.

Cats that need individual housing, for reasons from diet to socialization issues, no longer are in stacked cages, but in well-designed, sturdy condos between the group rooms.

Dogs' cages are in four groups of five – called villages – with individual glass fronts and a group glass window over short gray walls, an easy-view combination that lets dogs' colors stand out. Also, it creates an upbeat feel of "How much is that doggy in the window?"

Each dog has an outdoor kennel and, although they adjoin each other, they have stainless steel sides that prevent disruptive fence-fighting of the past.

Outdoor kennels open individually with a whimsical touch: Bone-shaped pulls to open them.

The new medical area has ample exam, surgery and recovery rooms for dogs and cats after spay/neuter surgery.

A large community room will be used for staff meetings, volunteer training and, in the future, such events as benefit birthday parties with adoptable, four-legged guests.

An old house previously used for offices was kept for storage, with other potential uses under consideration.

Even aside from the space increase – previously 7,000 square feet in the shelter and 1,000 square feet in the house – to 13,110 square feet, not counting the house storage, the project brought the Delaware Humane Association into modern times with its new atmosphere.

"We've outlawed the word 'shelter,' " Carroll said, adding the name no longer fits. "We call it an animal care center, the Tatiana and Gerret Copeland Animal Care Center."

But it was a long time coming.

Borne of concern

It was 1957.

Uncounted Delaware dogs and cats were being killed at shelters to make room for incoming animals.

Some concerned Delawareans, disturbed by that deadly status quo, formed the nonprofit Delaware Humane Association. The next year, they rented land near New Castle Airport for $1 a year and opened the state's first no-kill shelter.

By current standards, it was primitive. Most animals were chained at makeshift houses volunteers made of scrap lumber. But it was a start.

In 1970, the group was given its 4.5-acre site on A Street, with an old house it used for offices. A 7,000-square-foot animal shelter was built, but as years passed, it grew cramped, outdated and rundown.

In 2008, DHA announced a massive, but ill-fated growth plan.

New Castle County accepted its proposal to create a new center by renovating buildings left from the historic Hermitage farm complex on 23 acres of Glasgow Park at U.S. 40 and Del. 896.

DHA planned to sell its city site for $4.2 million for a proposed casino-hotel and had a feasibility study saying it could raise more than $3 million. So it committed to about $10 million in improvements and the county agreed to let it use the site tax- and rent-free for 40 years, with renewal option.

But legislation to allow the casino-hotel failed, taking DHA's land sale with it – dooming the fund-raising goal.

Two years and a change of leadership later, DHA bowed out of the county park deal.

"We were in limbo too long," Carroll said. "We just needed to move on."

New plan

So DHA looked at its old site with new eyes.

"Obviously we needed a new facility," Carroll said.

After getting the Repp Schaefer architectural firm to design a new building, DHA applied to the Longwood Foundation and got a $300,000 grant.

The vital boost, however, came from animal lovers and philanthropists Tatiana and Gerret Copeland.

The Copelands – whose beloved dog, Reggie, came from DHA – not only chaired the effort to raise more than $3 million for the new building, but also donated $750,000 to be matched by individual donations, then gave another $250,000.

The capital campaign topped its goal and Longwood Foundation recently gave $200,000 more. But construction costs had escalated. Even with the buiding size pared, about $800,000 is left to raise.

The association has a supply wish list at www.dehumane.org, along with hours, available pets and volunteer opportunities. It welcomes tax-deductible gifts of any size, Carroll said. Naming opportunities start at $5,000, but there are other needs, such as a second anaesthesia machine, about $2,500.

The top benefactors, graciously continuing to chair the added last stretch of fund-raising, already have been honored by the naming of the Tatiana and Gerret Copeland Animal Care Center.

At the grand opening, expected in May, the Copelands will be guests of honor, along with the dogs and cats living vastly better lives while awaiting forever homes.

Staff reporter robin brown has covered animal-related issues for The News Journal for more than 30 years. Contact her at (302) 324-2856, rbrown@delawareonline.com, on Facebook, via Twitter @rbrowndelaware or The News Journal, Box 15505, Wilmington, DE 19850.

PET NEWS & NOTES

BEAGLE BOOST: For only the second time in the history, a beagle won the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. The 15-inch beagle named Miss P won best in show Feb. 17, beating a favored Portuguese water dog. Named Matisse, that dog is the cousin of President Barack Obama's dog Sunny.

LONELY HEARTS: Delaware SPCA's Lonely Hearts Club highlights dogs and cats awaiting adoption for more than 6 months. To help them find homes, adoption fees are just $20 – including spay/neuter, up-to-date shots and microchip ID. The club currently has four cats and a dog at the Stanton shelter and five dogs at the Georgetown shelter. All may be seen at www.delspca.org/lonely-hearts-club/. They also may be visited at the Stanton Shelter at 455 Stanton Christiana Road, (302) 998-2281, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Friday through Sunday and at the Georgetown Shelter at 22918 Dupont Blvd., Georgetown, (302) 856-6361, 11 a.m-5 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, noon to 5 p.m. on Wednesday and 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

EVENTS

Saturday – 16 Mile Brewery Meet Our Dogs Delaware SPCA will have adoptable dogs, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the 16 Mile Brewery at 413 S. Bedford St., Georgetown. Tail Bangers will be there with all-natural dog treats.

Saturday – Greyhound Walk Greyhound Pets of America Delaware will host a 1 p.m. walk for greyhounds and their people at New Castle County's Glasgow Park at Del. 896 and U.S. 40.

Saturday– Paws for People Winter Conference 8:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. at St. Mark's United Methodist Church, 1700 Limestone Road, Stanton. Registration, $40. Workshops on pet therapy, behavior, training, health and holistic treatment. Keynote address by Scott Siegel, director of psychosocial oncology and survivorship at Helen F. Graham Cancer Center & Research Institute: "From Hunter to Healer: An Updated & Revised Account of How Wolves Evolved Into Our Best Friends & What This Means for Canine-Assisted Therapy Services." Registration at www.pawsforpeople.org/winter-conference/

Sunday – Pancakes for Pets Hourly seatings, 9 a.m.-noon at the Elks Lodge at 1310 Carruthers Lane, Wilmington, to benefit Faithful Friends Animal Society. Tickets, $10 for adults, $5 age 12 or younger, include pancakes, eggs, potatoes, fruit, coffee and orange juice. Bloody marys and mimosas, $5 each. For tickets, visit https://friendraising.donorpro.com/campaigns/230.

Sunday – Find-A-Fido dog adoption event Camp Bow Wow at 301 Ruthar Drive in Ogletown, 1-4 p.m., will host adoptable dogs from numerous groups. Friendly dogs are welcome on leashes, with owners who carry proof of bordetella vaccination within the last 6 months and current rabies and distemper vaccinations.

Monday – Car wash benefit Forgotten Cats will get a $3 donation for every super, ultimate or the works car wash purchased 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m. at Magic Car Wash at 3221 Naamans Road in Brandywine Hundred. Benefit car washes are held at the site on the first Monday of every month.

Monday – Vaccination Clinic First State Animal Care and SPCA will offer low-cost vaccinations, 6-8 p.m. at its Camden site. Rabies, distemper and bordetella shots, $15. Microchips, $25. Owners must bring proof of current rabies vaccination to get three-year inoculations. Minimum pet age for rabies vaccination is 12 weeks, 8 weeks for other inoculations.

March 7 – Vaccination and microchip clinic Delaware SPCA will offer low-cost vaccinations and $25 microchips, 9-11 a.m. at its Stanton Shelter at 455 Stanton-Christiana Road. Canine/feline distemper vaccines, $20; canine bordetella or kennel cough vaccine, $20; rabies vaccine, $20. Minimum pet age for rabies shots is 12 weeks. Owners must bring prior paperwork from prior rabies vaccination to get three-year inoculations. Cats must be brought in securely closing carriers and dogs on leashes no longer than 6 feet. Owners need valid ID with current address.

March 7 – Vaccination Clinic Delaware Humane Association will offer low-cost inoculaions and other services, 1-3 p.m. at Concord Pet Foods & Supplies in Suburban Plaza, Newark. Rabies, feline/canine distemper vaccinations are $20, dog bordetella or kennel cough shots, $15. Deworming, flea/tick preventatives and dog licenses also available, with varying prices. Minimum pet age for rabies shots is 12 weeks, 6 weeks for distemper. Cash and checks only. Cats must be in secure carriers and dogs must be collared and on leashes. Owners should bring ID with current address.

March 14 – Muttini Mixer Delaware Humane Association's Ninth Annual Muttini Mixer, 7-10 p.m. at World Cafe Live at The Queen, 500 N. Market St., Wilmington, with music, silent auction. Adults and dogs only, with dog-dress-up welcome. Tickets, $100 per person, free for dogs. Heavy hors d'oeuvres, food stations, open bar for beer, wine and soft drinks. Honorary chairs are Sen. Chris Coons, his wife Annie Coons, their dog Riley. Register at www.dehumane.org/site/PageServer?pagename=muttinimixer or (302) 571-8171, ext. 301.