San Antonio Pets Alive (SAPA), an animal protection nonprofit, is raising funds to build a new no-kill animal shelter off U.S. Highway 281, with construction expected to begin within the next two months. CEO Rebecca Mayberry told The San Antonio Report this week. .
The 16,000-square-foot, four-building facility is located on a 10-acre property that SAPA purchased in December with a $1.5 million donation from Petco Love, a San Antonio-based nonprofit that partners with Petco pet supply stores. will be constructed.
Award-winning San Antonio architecture firm Lake Flato provides free site analysis, design strategies, and facility floor plans.
“They took on SAPA as a pro bono customer so we could have a beautiful, state-of-the-art shelter,” Mayberry said. She expects the project to be completed within the next year and a half.
Animal control and animal welfare issues have been brought to the forefront in San Antonio over the past year and a half, due to a series of recent dog injuries and efforts to change outcomes in the city's Animal Protective Services department. The city is currently searching for a new ACS director as Shannon Sims plans to retire later this year.
SAPA's new facility allows the nonprofit organization to play a larger role in San Antonio's animal rescue efforts.
The organization currently occupies a city-owned kennel building on the ACS campus, where it takes in animals scheduled for euthanasia. The group rescued 3,644 animals from ACS in fiscal year 2023, according to a recent city audit, but Mayberry said she doesn't know if the contract to continue occupying the building on ACS' campus will be renewed. He said no.
The donation from Petco Love, which had given ACS $3 million in grants in the past, comes after the organization's leaders sent a letter to the City Council last April expressing concerns about the city's declining live release rate. It was done.
Petco Labs had sponsored a shelter consultant to help the city turn those numbers around, but after many disagreements, ACS leaders decided that the consultant's work was unprofessional and that the city's public safety department The credibility of the government was damaged as it was deemed to be out of line with the public safety functions of the government.
Architect Melina Phillips, an associate at Lake Flatt, said many of the firm's members are pet owners themselves, and donating design work helps SAPA demonstrate its vision to potential donors. He said it was helpful.
Phillips designed the project for maximum efficiency, using a pre-engineered building intended to create a central quad space as a dog play area. The undeveloped property has mature oak trees with room for shaded walking paths and room to grow.
“It's a huge issue here, homeless pets and mass euthanasia, which is a challenge that we face in our city,” Phillips said. “So it's really incredible to be able to visit their facility and see all the things they do in such a limited space. It’s exciting to think about how we can take our efforts to another level.”
