Looking west towards southern Oregon’s Lower Table Rock, progress now continues on the cinder block compiling the south kennel wing. Each wing (2) will be comprised of 20 kennels, all of which will be able to handle a variety of dog sizes. (November 2017)
CENTRAL POINT, OR; In November 2016 Dogs for Better Lives broke ground on their new two-story, 18,900 sq. ft. Second Training Facility, beginning to rock the site with gravel. Over the next 12-months there has been considerable progress with the concrete footprint going down, electrical and plumbing installation, and cinder block going up.
Framing of the Second Training Facility will begin in early December, with an anticipated roof to follow in January. Currently Dogs for Better Lives is maxed out for space in its existing 22-kennel facility, and the new building will have 40-kennels, allowing the national nonprofit to triple the number of dogs it rescues, professionally trains, and places across the country with qualified clients.
Similar to the existing kennel building built in 1988, the Second Training Facility will have training rooms upstairs, heated concrete floors, and access to expansive exercise yards. New to the facility under construction will be a 2-story elevator which is required by the county. Though, a big benefit in having the elevator will be allowing the professional trainers to work their dogs inside a moving space, without having to go offsite for this type of training.
A second major benefit being incorporated into the new Second Training Facility will be larger kennels. These larger kennels will allow larger dogs to be brought in, which was sometimes a limiting factor in the exiting 22-kennel facility. Further, the office space for up to eleven staff will be more centralized in the building, along with a reception area, and meeting space.
Blueprint renderings of the two-story, 18,900 sq. ft. Second Training Facility. The new facility will have 40-kennels, four exercise yards, heated concrete floors, and office space for up to eleven employees.
The Second Training Facility is primarily being funded through past generous donations from donors, though there are still a number of sponsorship opportunities available. You can find the Second Training Facility Prospectus here. From sidewalk pavers to benches and kennels to exercise yards, there are sponsorship opportunities for a variety of donors and organizations.
Earlier this year in June, Lions Clubs International Foundation was the first to commit to support of the new building, committing an $85,000 matching grant. Shortly thereafter, the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust awarded a $300,000 grant to the project, still the largest private grant the 40-year old national nonprofit has ever received.
Currently Dogs for Better Lives has three primary program areas, including Hearing Dogs, Program Assistance Dogs, and Autism Assistance Dogs.
♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Dogs for Better Lives is an award-winning national 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization focusing on the training and placing of Hearing Assistance Dogs, Program Assistance Dogs, and Autism Assistance Dogs. Accredited by Assistance Dogs International (ADI) and recognized by Charity Navigator as a 4-star nonprofit, Dogs for Better Lives has been rescuing dogs, bettering lives, and providing Assistance Dogs since 1977.
[Click here for a printable version]
