Maricopa County opens 'gorgeous' new $43M animal shelter in Mesa

Maricopa County officials opened the doors of a new animal shelter on Wednesday, replacing an outdated facility in a move that could mark a new page for the historically troubled department.

The brand-new, $43 million building features larger kennels, more play areas, a large veterinary clinic and quarantine capabilities. It is designed to appeal to potential adopters, eschewing rows of wire kennels under florescent lightbulbs for glass-doored enclosures in small pods that are arranged to let in natural light and decrease noise and other stressors.

Located at Baseline Road and Lewis Drive in Mesa, it is at the heart of a retail corridor surrounded by residential communities — a shift from the previous East Valley shelter, which neighbored a ballpark and was bounded by freeways on two sides.

That shelter, built in the 1980s, was originally created as a rabies vaccination site. It was never intended to be used as a full-time animal shelter, and a task force formed in 2014 to improve animal shelter operations called it "inadequate and substandard."

Problems with the facility included little space for medical care, a cramped play yard, deafening noise in the kennels and weak heating and cooling equipment. Task force members concluded the county needed to make sweeping changes in its shelters and better fund them.

County officials hope the new facility, constructed with capital funding, will lead to happier, better-behaved animals that are more attractive as family pets. They're also betting a new location and a nicer building will entice more adopter foot traffic.

"It is gorgeous, and when you walk in, it is a totally different feeling," said Maricopa County Animal Care and Control Director Debbie McKnight. "It's not cramped, and it's not sad."

The county aims to replace its existing Phoenix shelter with a new West Valley one in the coming years. Ultimately, the goal of the new facilities is faster kennel turnover and more revenue from adoption fees.

"Capacity really depends on length of stay," McKnight said. "You could build a giant place with tons and tons and tons of kennels — you're just going to end up filling it up. So let's get them in and make sure they get out into a home as soon as possible."

An embattled department

The investment comes after years of turmoil for Maricopa County Animal Care and Control.

A 2019 investigation from The Republic detailed concerns about a toxic workplace within the department and bad conditions within the shelters. It also shed light on a controversial transport program that led Animal Care and Control to ship more than 4,000 dogs and cats to animal shelters in Utah, Washington, Idaho, New Mexico and beyond over a span of 19 months.

An earlier investigation found that veterinarians were botching surgeries on some shelter animals, leading to a years-long string of injuries and deaths.

As the problems racked up, the shelters also began experiencing severe overcrowding. During the work-from-home era of the pandemic, staff saw record lows in stray animals. But as normal life resumed and Valley's population boomed, the department began seeing a sharp uptick.

In recent years, the kennels have regularly been over capacity. At times, staff have been forced to turn away animals because of a lack of space.

Outdated facilities and pets in especially close quarters caused other issues. The county's shelters have seen numerous outbreaks of distemper, a highly contagious viral disease that can cause coughing, decreased appetite and vomiting in dogs. It can be fatal.

During a 2022 outbreak at the county's old East Valley shelter, staff had to temporarily quarantine all of the animals in the county's kennel facilities. Ultimately, 240 animals were infected, and several were euthanized to stop the spread. That ignited criticism from animal advocates, who accused Animal Care and Control of failing to protect and properly manage dogs in its care.

Amid that tension, internal turmoil continued. The department saw the departure of director Michael Mendel in December 2022. He left his role after several employees alleged he bullied and berated them during an emotional outburst over criticism of the department.

A fresh start

In recent months, the department has made a few changes.

It hired McKnight, its current director, from the Arizona Humane Society last year. It also redoubled efforts to fight overpopulation in the Valley through mobile spay and neuter clinics, targeting zip codes where stray animals are most often picked up.

Now, it will demolish the old East Valley shelter. County officials said they plan to sell the land under the building.

McKnight is hoping the new shelter will help attract volunteers and lead to more community involvement with the department.

"It does take the whole community," she said. "We're not a silo. We need everybody, and it's helpful to have a very welcoming environment."

County officials will also build a new shelter to replace the county's Phoenix-based facility at 27th Avenue and Lower Buckeye Road. Plans are still in design, but County Manager Jen Pokorski said she expects the new facility will be located north and west of the current shelter — perhaps near Glendale, Peoria or west Phoenix.

That would bring the shelter closer to residential communities and retail corridors, like the new Mesa facility. Currently, the Phoenix shelter is surrounded by county buildings in a predominantly industrial area.

Pokorski said the new West Valley shelter will also be larger and have more kennels — although she couldn't state an immediate number.

"The goal is to have enough space for animals to come in, if they're a stray or for safety reasons like a bite, but not to house them indefinitely," she said.

No other new shelters have been officially approved. But some county leaders would like to go even further. Supervisor Tom Galvin, who represents a district spanning parts of the East Valley, said he's hoping for a third shelter within the next decade.

He envisions a new facility in north Phoenix or Paradise Valley that would create "a triangle of shelters" in the county.

"The county's huge," Galvin said. "It's 4.5 million people. Hundreds of people are moving here every single day. We have to meet the growing capacity needs that are really bumping up against these old buildings."

How to adopt

Interested in bringing home a new furry friend?

Maricopa County's shelters are open from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays, and 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends. You don't need an appointment to take home an animal, but you can scope out adoptable pets online in advance of your visit.

Be forewarned — some pets go fast! The adoptable pets page provides a live look at what dogs have yet to find homes.

Once you arrive at a shelter, you can walk through the kennels to pick out pets to meet or let staff know if you already have a specific animal in mind. If a pet proves a good fit, you may be able to take them home with you on the same day that you meet them.

All pets are spayed or neutered before leaving the shelters. All animals are also microchipped before adoption.

Adoption fees are waived for dogs six months and older until May 15. Fees for puppies under five months are $150.

More information is available on the Maricopa County Animal Care and Control website.

Sasha Hupka covers county government and regional issues for The Arizona Republic. Do you have a tip to share? Reach her at [email protected]. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @SashaHupka. Follow her on Threads: @sashahupkasnaps.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: No more metal cages for potential pets at $43M new Maricopa County shelter