Humane Society makes progress on expansion plans

The Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region is just $1 million short of reaching its $8 million goal to pay for a major expansion.

A highlight of the plan is a new adoption lobby with noise-reduction materials.

“It’s quieter and we streamlined our adoption process so that people can adopt animals faster,” society spokeswoman Gretchen Pressley said.

Another addition is a “cat condominium” that provides more room for cats to be displayed and cared for.

“That should open in a few weeks,” Pressley said. “Sometime we have a lot of cats here, and this addition will allow the cats to show off their personalities better and get them adopted sooner.”

Still under construction is a new main lobby and lost-and-found area in the rear of the building.

“It’ll have separate entrances for dogs and cats, and reduce stress for them being around people,” Pressley said.

The expansion is the first at the society since it was built in 1999.

More than 250,000 animals have been handled by the society, and Pressley said the society’s number of working days has increased 30 percent.

Pressley said the society performs more than 7,000 surgeries annually to spay and neuter animals.

“We’ve reached the limits of care we can provide and we really need the additions,” she said. “We thank our generous donors for helping us.”