The Ames Animal Shelter is $25,000 away from meeting its $7.5 million fundraising goal for its new facility.

Of the $7.48 million raised, the Ames City Council allocated $3 million and the project raised another $3 million from anonymous donors. The shelter also received support from donors, businesses and other animal shelters to help fund facility expenses.

Last year, the city bought a building and some surrounding land located at 2715 Dayton Ave. with the intention for the shelter to grow with the city. The funds will support development and construction, including a complete renovation on the building, which was previously a day care.

The city plans to begin construction and renovations this summer, Ames Animal Control Supervisor Ron Edwards told the Voice. He hopes the city is using the facility by early to mid 2027.

About 85% of the work that needs to be done is in the existing building, Edwards said.

“Only the exterior walls will remain,” he said. “All the interior walls will be torn out, flooring, ceiling and then from there they’ll start to build it as we’ve instructed them.”

The current facility is around 5,000 square feet, making it difficult to adequately support animals, staff and volunteers. The new building will be about 11,000 square feet with an additional 6 acres of land.

The new facility will:

• Increase the number of animals served and protected.
• Accommodate in-house medical care for sheltered animals.
• Provide space for a pet food pantry.
• Create adequate spaces for sheltered animals.

Mental and physical benefits of the new facility

One key aspect the new facility will provide is modern, stress-reducing, healthy and progressive housing for the animals.

“The shelter environment is very stressful for animals, cats, really.” Edwards said.

Larger, less-crowded spaces are vital for shelter animals because they reduce stress, lower disease transmission and allow for natural behaviors. Small, cramped and confined cages can cause high levels of stress and anxiety in animals, especially in shelters. The new shelter will have “kitty suites” and “kitty cities,” providing cats with more spacious, home-like environments.

“When we designed the new facility, we were just very mindful of making sure that we were catering to the enrichment needs for both species, cats and dogs, and we kind of catered a little bit to the humans as well,” said Abbey Weimann, the Ames Animal Shelter animal control clerk.

Backed by psychology studies, the suites and cities are set up to look like a home, so individuals looking into adoption can envision that animal in their home. That could make it more likely for them to adopt that animal. There will be five kitty suites and five kitty cities in the new facility.

“The architects laid out the building in very thoughtful ways to try and get as much natural lighting as possible, which is really good for their mental well being,” said Weimann. The way the new facility will be laid out, cats in cages will still get some natural lighting. “They have a circadian rhythm, just like we do.”

The new facility will have adjustable lighting in each room catered to the individual animal.

In addition to mental well-being, the new facility will allow for better disease management, reducing the risk of spreading illness between animals and increasing their overall physical well being.

The facility also will:

• Provide a more functional and supportive space for staff, volunteers and shelter residents.
• Expand opportunities for residents and volunteers to benefit from animal-related educational programs.
• Create public areas that are warm and inviting, promote volunteerism, adoption, fostering, humane education and a sense of community for animal lovers.
• Better support the shelter’s no-kill mission by providing the best possible resources for sheltered animals.
• Offer more programs that help pets stay in their homes with people that love and care for them.

Medical and veterinary services

The new facility will include a full treatment room with a surgical addition, something the current facility lacks. While no commitments have been made, Weimann said several veterinarians have volunteered their services, making procedures in-house rather than using external sources. That would save costs for the city and donors. The clinical area will also have a better design and flow that reduces stress for animals.

The biggest service the shelter would be able to offer is on-site surgeries, Edwards said previously.

The new facility will also have better housing, plus extra space inside and outside for the animals to play.

How to become involved

Donate: The easiest way to support the Ames Animal Shelter is by donating — which funds the majority of its life-saving programs. Donations can include money or supplies. The donation form can be found on the shelter’s website.

Volunteer: Anyone can volunteer at the shelter by signing up through its online application.

Foster: People can also foster animals, which is crucial for animals that need more specific, specialized care. For those interested, the foster application can be found online, and the program allows for a variety of lifestyles and experience levels.