By Jenna Fink DEWITT, N.Y. (NCC News)–
Helping Hounds dog rescue made its home on Kinne Road in Dewitt nearly ten years ago. During that time, the rescue has helped place thousands of dogs with loving families. They’ve adopted 1,400 dogs this year alone. With the growth, Helping Hounds is expanding to a new facility in North Syracuse.
“We have always known this building was going to be a stepping stone,” Kathy Gilmour, Executive Director of Helping Hounds, said about their current location. “It was always in our long-term goals. They put the building up for sale so it kinda sped up our timeline a little bit.”
Kevin Page has volunteered at Helping Hounds for three years. He says the expansion is needed.
“It’s going to be a huge improvement,” Page said. “We’ve used every square inch of this building. We’ll be able to offer more services, classes, trainings as well as adopting the dogs.”
The new building is about three times the size of their current space. That means it can hold up to 100 dogs. There are currently 20 dogs in the rescue. It fluctuates, however. Sometimes there’s anywhere from 70-90 dogs. The new facility isn’t just a bigger space. The amenities inside are designed to minimize a dog’s stress.
“They’ll each have their own little house,” Gilmour said. “It’s kinda set up like a cute little village. It’s radiant heat underneath so it’s going to be very warm and comforting.”
The space also has more areas where dogs can interact with each other. That’s something Gilmour says the current space lacks.
Helping Hounds’ new building is expected to be finished by late November or early December. Gilmour says she likes the progress she’s seen.
“It’s actually coming along pretty good now,” she said. “For a while it was like nothing changed much. Now every time we go, it’s like holy cow there’s a room there.”
Helping Hounds is hosting its 9th Annual Pumpkins & Pooches event Saturday October 5th from 11am-3pm. Activities include food trucks, kids activities, and a pet costume contest. All proceeds will go directly to helping more dogs find paw-fect homes.
