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News Brief

June 5, 2025 |  By: Gavin McGough

St. Joseph and its Humane Society will break ground on a new shelter soon

Draft of St. Joseph new shelter

Credits to: Friends of the Animal Shelter of St. Joseph and St. Joseph Aninmal Shelter Facebook

Cats and dogs awaiting adoption in St. Joseph are getting a new home. No, they haven't all been adopted -- yet. Rather, the City and its Humane Society are breaking ground on a new shelter which will expand and modernize its facilities, providing a better "temporary" home for the city's stray and unclaimed animals.


The project has been in the works some 15 years. Manager of the City's Department of Animal Services Holly Bowie described the update as "Much-Needed." She continues, "It's a major step forward in providing compassionate, high-quality care for the animals, and a safe work environment for our staff." The city's animal services are supported by the Friends of the St. Joseph Animal Shelter, a non-profit group which raised over one and half million dollars for the effort. The rest of the 5 million dollar price tag will come from the City's capital improvements fund.

The new shelter will be significantly larger in order to house cats and dogs separately, provide more ease to operations, and created a dedicated space for the public to interact with animals up for adoption. The new shelter breaks ground in Mid-June and will take roughly a year to complete.