$13M Animal Shelter To Open In Fort Worth By 2021

FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) - For the first time since 1998, the City of Fort Worth will have a new animal shelter.

"Our goal with the new shelter is to offer the highest level of customer service to the residents; provide the best care for the pets and the best quality of life while in our care," said Dr. Tim Morton, assistant director ofCode Compliance with oversight of Fort Worth Animal Care & Control. "It's all about the pets and taking the next step in making Fort Worth the most pet-friendly city in the nation."

Mayor Betsy Price and other officials held a groundbreaking ceremony Wednesday morning for the new eight acre campus. The campus is designed with an emphasis on animal enrichment and human-animal interactions.

The adoption center is designed to house 300 pets with plenty of space for potential adopters to meet pets; a veterinary clinic with surgery and triage units; open work spaces to enhance engagement among the staff caring for the animals; and plentiful indoor kennels with attached outdoor spaces.

Voters approved more than $13 million in the 2018 bond election to build the state-of-the-art facility.

Construction is set for completion by next January.