LIED ANIMAL SHELTER: Bowwow bungalows

New addition to bring many changes

The Animal Foundation, which operates the Lied Animal Shelter at 655 N. Mojave Road, recently broke ground on a new addition that will change the face of animal shelters across the city.

The $14.5 million regional facility is slated to open in mid-2005 and will house animals from all over Las Vegas, Clark County and North Las Vegas in its 74,000-square-foot space.

Instead of small, sometimes pungent cages, the dogs will occupy what representatives of the shelter are calling bungalows with sufficient ventilation. The existing 35,000-square-foot shelter also will expand in terms of its services to include a Vet Tech School, an animal care and adoption center and eventually a barn and yard to care for large animals.

In response to the growing electricity and water costs that accompany the care of thousands of animals that need to be kept clean and hydrated, the expansion will use technology that isn't employed in most businesses, much less the traditionally stale animal shelter.

Mark Fierro, spokesman for the Animal Foundation, said solar panels and smart water usage will cut the facility's operating costs down considerably.

"It costs about $1.2 million per year to take care of the animals, and this is a very low kill shelter," Fierro said. "We've had a good track record of estimating our expenses, and the two numbers that completely knocked us back was electricity and water. It takes a lot of water to take care of dogs and cats. The board decided it definitely wanted to go down this road with solar and wind power. We want to show the rest of the community that it can be done."

The Animal Foundation employed the local firm of Tate Snyder Kimsey Architects to design the building, which it expects to be adherent to certification guidelines established by Leadership in Energy and Design, or LEED, a point system that rates the energy efficiency of a building.

The Animal Foundation Building is expected to achieve platinum status, which means it will be one of the most power-efficient buildings in the nation, according to Windom Kimsey, partner at Tate Snyder Kimsey.

Not only is the building almost completely self-sustaining, but nearly every agency involved in its creation is "green" in terms of practice. Its Living Machine, for example, will recycle 80 percent of its water.

"What's interesting about the Animal Foundation is not just the renewable energy, solar panels and Living Machine where water is treated on sight, but some of the other things," Kimsey said. "It's the materials used on the project by Tradewinds Construction, and the ways they deal with the waste from the construction site."

Instead of a cold and depressing environment in which pets are housed in tiny quarters with many other animals, the addition will provide an animal campus in which animals can go inside and out. Structures that will provide shade on one side will be solar panels on the other.

"You think about any outdoor mall, one thing people are always concerned with, especially here, is shade," Fierro said. "We used the top of the shade as solar collectors, so it serves a dual purpose. We also will have wind turbans. They're used in Europe, but almost unheard of here."

One of the biggest selling points will directly affect the pets and potential owners. Fierro said in the planning of the new pet housing, it was important to remember that happy animals get adopted much more quickly than shy or inactive ones.

"The biggest change between the old and new (shelter) is that although the old is very new and clean and up to date, it was built on the design of a traditional shelter," Fierro said. "There's a big room and lots of kennels. The new one is an animal campus, with 45 separate bungalows.

"It will be easy for small animals to only see smaller animals, and it will be a lot easier to care for animals and for them to put on their best face. If an animal is happy and feels secure, he's not going to be afraid. His coat, his personality is better, and the chances of going to a new home increase."

Those interested can visit www.animalfoundation.com.


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