As the city shelter, the Animal Foundation must accept any animal. Veterinarians spay and neuter dozens of homeless pets each day before they are placed in cages to await adoption. One veterinarian recently performed 57 operations in a single day, about average for the shelter. After the animals are weaned, the families return the unwanted pets to the shelter for adoption. The current shelter is 7,000 square feet and overcrowded.
More space means the shelter can keep animals longer.
But even with the longer stay, healthy animals are euthanized because there is simply not enough room to keep them, Herro said.