Pets Get More Space At Dumb Friends League Leslie A. Malone Center

DENVER (CBS4)- It's a place where many families in Colorado have found their best friend. Now one location of the Dumb Friends League is getting a new look and a new name.

The Dumb Friends League is set to have a special grand opening and dedication at its location formerly known as the Quebec Street Shelter on Tuesday, following several years of renovations.

"We're still the Dumb Friends League. We're still the Buddy Center in Castle Rock. We're still the Harmony Equine Center, but this location that we've just been calling the Shelter on Quebec Street is going to be known as the Leslie A. Malone Center," said Dumb Friends League Public Relations Manager Maia Brusseau.

Brusseau says the name is in honor of cable magnate John Malone's wife Leslie A. Malone; the Malone family donated $20 million toward the creation of the center. The Dumb Friends League then matched that amount, for a total of $40 million in their construction efforts. It's also phase two of five, which is the most visible phase to the public.

"(The upgrade) allows us to be able to help the changing population of animals that come through our doors. More and more, we have animals that have fear that we can work through with them, they might need special medical attention and other behavior training that we can provide in this new space. And it's not only going to affect adoption but also our pet admissions space," said Brusseau.

The overall goal is to reduce the amount of stress on the animals while they're temporarily waiting to find forever homes.

"It's a great place to be, but it's not home. This is their way home and we're trying to make it as low-stress as possible so they're prepared for their new homes," Brusseau told CBS4's Mekialaya White.

And though many may have fond memories of the old shelter, Brusseau says the makeover for the space was long overdue.

"People really have a lot of memories of finding their first dog there or adopting with their family when they were a kid, and that area was wonderful! We assume that it helped about a million dogs find homes. And this new area we hope is going to help another million dogs," said Brusseau.

Tuesday's unveiling is invitation-only; however, there will be a public celebration on Saturday, featuring adoption specials and snacks.