ORLANDO, Fla. – An excavator uprooted tree after tree in a deep parcel of land along John Young Parkway on Monday.
For Stephen Bardy, CEO of Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando, it’s a beautiful sight.
“It’s been a long journey. You know, any kind of building, design, construction, all of that takes a good bit of time. But, you know, we’re here, we’re excited,” Bardy said.
“Here” is the site of the new shelter for Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando, a 25,000-square-foot facility due to open in 2026.
The work comes three years after a fire at Pet Alliance’s longtime shelter off Conroy Road across from Mall at Millennia. Seventeen cats died in the Sept. 15, 2021 fire, which was caused by an electrical issue. The building was a total loss.
Pet Alliance had been looking at building a new shelter long before the fire. The nonprofit purchased the property on John Young Parkway, just south of the Orange County Jail, in April of 2021.
However, the fire forced Pet Alliance to accelerate plans. Meanwhile, it had to split its operations, with dogs and cats being held at its Sanford shelter location, as well as a temporary cat shelter in Downtown Orlando.
The setup meant the group could not rescue as many dogs and cats, and that had a ripple effect around Central Florida, leaving animals that would normally be pulled in local shelters.
“So for example, pre-fire, we could take in about 7,000 animals a year. Post-fire, it’s between 4-5,000,” Bardy said.
Pet Alliance had other issues to go through, too. The property is wetlands on a flood plain, so that took longer to get permits for. It’s also on a busy road, which means building turn lanes on John Young Parkway.
“I think everybody’s happy, everybody’s on the same page,” Bardy said. “And ultimately, that’s what we want. We want to make sure that we’re doing what we need to be doing to have a facility that lasts another 80 years.”
Bardy said that the new building will have one of the largest veterinary medical facilities in the state, allowing the shelter to take in special-needs pets that would otherwise be euthanized at county facilities. The facility will have special isolation areas, along with quarantine areas for puppies and kittens.
The dog kennels will also have air conditioning, something the old shelter did not have, along with exercise areas.
And the cats will get their own space, too.
“We have that private space and then we have the public viewing adoptable space, a really awesome kitten room that people are going to just want to come hang out in,” Bardy said.
Over the next few weeks, crews will clear the land of trees and plants — nearly all of which are invasive, Bardy said — then work on pouring the foundation can begin.
Pet Alliance still has to raise another $4 million of the $18 million cost for the new shelter. All of the money has come from private donations. Pet Alliance is completely donation-funded. To help with the new shelter, go to the capital campaign website.
Meanwhile, the work of rescuing cats and dogs in Central Florida continues.
If you want to adopt a pet, foster a pet, volunteer, or donate, go to the Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando website.
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