Two Upper Peninsula animal shelters are making big moves.
The Delta Animal Shelter reopened its doors after a move to a brand new building with more room in December, and the
Upper Peninsula Animal Welfare Shelter is moving to a bigger site near the Marquette County Fairgrounds.
In Escanaba, the
Delta Animal Shelter is now operating out of a large new 7,400-square-foot building, the John and Melissa Besse Pet Adoption Center, with plenty of room for all of its animals and more space to facilitate community adoptions. The building was made possible by a $450,000 donation from the John and Melissa Besse Foundation.
It will allow the shelter to accommodate up to 100 animals at once, as well as adding socialization rooms to allow animals more time outside of cages, a grooming room, and a medical care room. It's located on County Road 426 in Wells Township and was a needed step up from a cramped, deteriorating building that dated from the shelter's high-kill days. Delta Animal Shelter is now operated under no-kill policies, so more room to house animals safely and comfortably is needed.
Delta Animal Shelter is open for adoptions from noon to 6 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, from noon to 4 p.m. Wednesdays and Fridays, and on Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
In Marquette County, Upper Peninsula Animal Welfare Shelter, also a no-kill shelter, needed more room to serve the average of 1,600 pets it cares for each year, including large animals such as horses. To that end, the shelter in January announced its purchase of 20 acres of land on the north end of the Marquette County Fairgrounds on M-553.
It also will mean a move for the shelter out of a small building that is about 40 years old, was built as a county stray dog pound, and doesn't offer a lot of room for animals. The new property will allow room for large animals with a barn and a stable.
Writer: Kim Eggleston
Source: UPAWS and Delta Animal Shelter
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