Detroit Animal Control has been plagued by issues as well as lawsuits, in part stemming from the challenges of dealing with an undersized and obsolete animal control building that’s located on West Jefferson.
However, the Michigan Humane Society (MHS), through a private fundraising campaign, has been able to build a state-of-the-art new shelter and center by I-75 and the Northend, a few blocks away from their old facility. That opened earlier this year.
However, that old facility MHS has left still has useful life to it. Although smaller than what MHS had before, it’s been maintained and is in much better shape than what the city of Detroit currently has. So this week, the Michigan Humane Society donated and Detroit City Council accepted the donation of their former headquarters on Chrysler Drive to be the new home for Detroit Animal Control.
On the Michigan Humane Society blog, their CEO Matthew Pepper wrote:
While our new facility has incredibly enhanced functionality and is the very definition of state-of-the-art, our previous Detroit shelter has been meticulously maintained and has functional years left. The current DACC facility, at best, fails to meet even the most basic needs of animals. This is about ALL the animals of Detroit and not just those housed at MHS. The functionality remaining in the old facility is best put to use by Detroit Animal Care and Control. In this way it will have the most impact.
There has been no timetable publicly released for the move to the new facility.
“The Michigan Humane Society has been a true friend in supporting DACC’s efforts in increasing public safety through community initiatives,” Director of Animal Care and Control Melissa Miller said in a release. “This centrally located facility will allow us to respond more efficiently to public safety issues and is also more accessible to the public. We look forward to being able to provide the animals in our care with an increased quality of housing.”
