Employees of animal hospitals direct people who find strays to a shelter.

Lehi Animal Hospital technician Dan Swenson said the new shelter is a service to the community because hospitals can't legally keep the animals.

"A lot of people oppose shelters, but they serve a good purpose," he said. "If we bring a lost dog in here, nobody looks here — they always go to the shelter first."

Opponents of shelters argue it's cruel to keep animals in cages and that disease can easily spread among the animals, Swenson said. But sometimes leaving animals on their own is worse.

"People need to realize . . . the goal is to do the best thing for the animal," he said. "(The shelter) is food in their stomach, a roof over their heads. It's better than being out in the street getting run over."

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