Irving Animal Care Center Campus Opens

Linda Harper-Brown, Sam Smith, Herbert Gears, Tommy Gonzalez and Kinky Friedman battled the strong winds on Saturday afternoon to give a proper opening ceremony to the new campus.

"I usually accuse politicians of being ribbon cutters, but this is different.  This facility is about love.” said Kinky Friedman.

The $8.4 million facility is impressive. The campus has 26,000 square feet of space that will be shared by Irving Animal Services and the DFW Humane Society. 

In regards to that partnership, Irving City Council member, Sam Smith, commented, "It makes sense to share resources for one common mission."

The City of Irving had been rightly criticized in the past for the horrible conditions in their previous animal shelter location.  To make matters worst, the building that housed the DFW Humane Society on Irving Boulevard was literally falling apart.

As a result of the criticism, Irving's city officials and residents made a commitment back in 2006 to fund and build a modern facility.  "This council has stood up to the criticism," said City Manager, Tommy Gonzalez.

“The new facility is a great improvement over what we had and provides the animals with a safer, more comfortable environment,” said Animal Services Manager Fred Sanderson. “We are able to expand our services without adding additional staffing.” 

The new shelter features an adoption mall atmosphere to allow pets to be showcased in a more attractive setting, adoption pods with open-area kennels, sound reduction materials, training areas for staff and volunteers, and outside shade structures. The facility also will feature state-of-the-art veterinary equipment and materials designed to reduce disease transmission.

Adjacent to the new facility will be Irving’s first dog park, which is set to open this summer and will include separate play areas for large and small dogs, and Wi-Fi- hot spots.