N. valley animal shelter opening

LINDON — North Utah Valley residents can get a glimpse of the new animal shelter today when the Lindon facility opens its doors to the public. A formal open house for the public will be held Tuesday morning.

Quadrupeds at the new facility last Thursday were greatly outnumbered by those walking on two legs during an open house for local elected officials that featured just three dogs brought over to give the new North Utah Valley Animal Shelter a little eye appeal. The North Utah Valley Animal Special Service District board joined police officers and others involved in the shelter's genesis at a VIP tour.

The shelter, at 193 N. 2000 West in Lindon, will serve Utah Valley cities, towns and unincorporated county areas from Orem northward.

Crews spent Friday moving animals from the Orem City shelter, which will be closed, to the new facility in preparation for today's official grand opening.

"It's really been a community effort to get this up and going," said Orem Police Capt. Bob Conner, board chairman. "We wanted them (the VIP guests) to have a time to see the final product, to welcome them and say thank you."

The new 18,000-square-foot, $2.3 million shelter is four times as large as the old Orem shelter and could house as many as 120 dogs and 200 cats if needed, said shelter director Tug Gettling.

"It's a complete change from what we've had in the past," Conner said. "I think the community will be very pleased with what we have to offer them."

Gettling said he expects the new shelter to lead to more pet adoptions.

"You can come shopping for a pet here," he said. "People aren't going to say, 'Oh gosh, we don't want to go there.' It's going to be just the opposite. 'Oh, what a great experience, what a great facility, what a friendly and knowledgeable staff.' That's the type of experience people should have here."

The new shelter's adoption area includes what Gettling calls "get-acquainted rooms," where potential pet owners can spend time alone with animals.

"It will help people make a better choice," he said.

Those who adopt dogs and cats from the new shelter will be taking home animals that have been vaccinated, microchipped and tested and cleared for behavior issues, Gettling said.

"This is a great improvement for capacity, but also for quality," he said.

The north valley shelter will work in tandem with the South Utah Valley Animal Shelter at 582 W. 3000 North, Spanish Fork, to provide equitable coverage throughout the county, said Utah County Commissioner Larry Ellertson.

Utah County covered construction cost for both shelters and agreed to lease them to the north and south special service districts for $1 per year for 30 years. The south valley shelter opened in May 2003.

The county is a participant in both shelters to cover the unincorporated area, but its involvement ends there, Ellertson said. All operating costs are covered by the districts.

Conner said first-year operating costs for the north shelter are about $385,000. Cities and the county pay about $40 for each animal brought in from their respective areas to help cover those costs, he said. Other funding will come from adoption and license fees.

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