With plans drawn and excavation started, the Humane Society of Westmoreland County has launched a project to add additional space to house more dogs at its Hempfield facility.

Executive Director Kathy Burkley said that the new building will be a huge benefit to the group that operates the no-kill shelter near Greensburg.

“This is something that we decided we needed a few years ago,” Burkley said of the new building to be built in a portion of the parking lot of the main indoor kennel area.

“Right now, we really don't have enough kennel space to meet the need,” she said.

The cost is estimated to be about $250,000. Hempfield Township supervisors have approved the site plan.

The new building will measure about 60-by-35 feet and will double the society's kennel space.

The building will feature nine heated larger kennels and four smaller units for smaller dogs. There will be an adoption area and a small kitchen.

“The funds raised for this will be in addition to our other funding,” Burkley said.

She said all fundraisers hosted by the group go to operate the shelter and donations made for the new building must be made separately.

The new building will provide shelter for many dogs who may have otherwise been kept outdoors.

“We have to turn people away and we would really rather not have to do that,” Burkley said. “The new kennels will really be put to use.”

The Humane Society houses dogs and cats, offers low-cost spaying and neutering for area pets, and sponsors clinics that feature low-cost vaccinations and medical check-ups and insertions of microchips beneath a pet's skin for identification purposes.

“We want to makes things like spaying and neutering affordable,” Burkley said. “We don't want someone to have to give up their pet because they are not able to afford to take care of it.”

Volunteers and staff members are looking forward to the new addition, said administrative assistant Jessica Zerebnick.

“I'm really excited about the new kennel,” she said. “We'll then be able to hold a lot more dogs. We'll be able to save even more (dogs).”

Burkley said that the project will progress as the funding becomes available, and the generosity of private donations already acquired has allowed them to proceed.

“We have a good head start and a lot of people have showed interest,” Burkley said. “It was a tough process getting to where we are, but we're started now.”

Marilyn Forbes is a contributing writer for Trib Total Media.

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