BURLINGAME—A light-brown Chihuahua sniffed Wednesday at the little holes in the glass door. A few feet away, its roommate rubbed up against a piece of cement shaped and painted to resemble a small recliner.
There are no crates or chain-link kennels here. Instead, dogs play in 10-foot-by-10-foot “dorms” as they await adoption at the Peninsula Humane Society’s long-awaited, new animal shelter.
It’s a cheery place, a stark contrast to the prison-like atmosphere that often pervades traditional shelters.
“Many facilities were built years ago, so they aren’t the most aesthetically pleasing for visitors,” said Scott Delucchi, the society’s director of community relations. “They can be loud, overwhelming, poorly lit, emotional places for visitors.”
On Saturday, the society will open to the public its state-of-the-art Tom and Annette Lantos Center for Compassion, named after the late Rep. Tom Lantos and his wife. The 56,700-square-foot facility on Rollins Road in Burlingame will accommodate up to 200 domestic animals at a time — including as many as 45 dogs — as well as up to 218 native wild animals in need of rehabilitation.
“We’re so used to doing everything on a shoestring (so) to do everything right is so nice,” Delucchi said.
The privately funded facility cost $25 million to build, and $21 million of it has already been paid for through donations. The society will keep its existing offices on Airport Boulevard in San Mateo, which will be used as a facility for people to visit when they’ve lost or need to surrender a pet. All stray animals will begin their shelter stays there.
Ken White, president of the society, said the sparkling new center is a reflection of the people of San Mateo County and their love of animals.
“The community gets the humane society it deserves,” White said. “There’s not a lot of places in the country — and I have worked all over the country for 34 years — where communities, residences and businesses would be this supportive of something this important for the animals.”
The center includes three floors of animal-care services. The first floor is dedicated to dogs, including 20 dog dorms, each holding between one and three canines, depending on their size and breed.
There are socialization rooms for people to visit their potential new pets and the pièce de résistance — the facility’s Canine Enrichment Center. It’s a large space in which staffers and volunteers help dogs become more sociable. It features a retractable roof, artificial turf and dog toys. Water flows out of dog sculptures into drinking basins.
When asked how these amenities compare to those at other shelters, volunteer dog groomer Stacey Morgan said it’s “night and day.
“The care is the same, but it’s definitely a calmer environment for them,” she said. “I think something that’s kind of important is that it’s more pleasing to the public. They’ll come here, and they’re not bummed out.”
The second floor is where most of the wildlife is located. Between the Burlingame and San Mateo locations, the staff expects between 4,000 and 5,000 wild animals a year. They can stay from a few hours to a few months depending on their condition.
“Usually, we try not to hold on to them too long because they are wild animals, and they need to get back out into the wild, but it depends on the extent of their injuries or illness,” said Glenda Niven, the assistant manager of the wildlife department.
The second floor also is where injured animals will be treated. Observation windows will allow visitors to see the work going on.
“I think our hospital room is going to be really exciting because now we can have the public viewing what we’re doing and making them more aware of the fact that there’s a rehab center,” Niven said. “It’ll help get that message out, so people will know what to do when they see an injured or sick animal.”
Also on the second floor are two large aviaries, housing birds such as hawks and owls until they regain their ability to fly. Although the aviaries will not be accessible to the public, visitors can view them on a monitor on the first floor.
The third floor is where cats will be housed in 10-by-10 glass rooms called “cat condos.” There is more furniture in these rooms than in the dog dorms, Delucchi said, because cats don’t do as much damage when they’re left alone.
The building is designed to be good for the environment, too. White said the facility is in the process of being certified through Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design or LEED. The shelter features high-tech heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems, drought-resistant plants outside, a large amount of natural lighting and a system for cleaning kennels that cuts down on water use.
Delucchi said he is proud of the way everything came together to realize a goal nearly a decade in the making.
“Trying to raise many millions of dollars in this economy was a huge challenge, but we did,” Delucchi said. “That told us we had many people in this community who care deeply about animals and have great faith in our shelter’s leadership to build a first-rate facility.”