New Animal Services Building
Background
Animal Care of Davis County (ACDC) is the only animal shelter in Davis County, which means that it
accepts all animals, regardless of their temperament or health. The health and well-being of the
animals in the care of ACDC is of the utmost importance to Davis County and its community. While
most of the animals that come to the shelter are ideal candidates for adoption, there are some that
suffer from long-term and profound health problems as a result of being homeless or abused, and
require specialized care and attention.
In 2020, the Davis County Commissioners and City Managers requested that Davis County explore
the idea of remodeling the existing Animal Care facility or build a completely new animal shelter after
it was determined that the current facility does not meet the growing needs for animal care and
control in our community. The project was initiated with the submission of a Request for Proposal for
a feasibility study. The study - led by Citygate Associates, an expert in the design and operation of
animal care facilities - began in October of 2021 and has now been completed under the
administration of the Director of Animal Care and the Board of Commissioners.
The current shelter was built in1985 and was considered state-of-the-art at the time, featuring large
kennels for the dog population and encompassing 10,956 square feet in total. The building has gone
through a number of renovations over the past 39 years aimed at improving the comfort and safety
of the shelter pets, but it currently does not conform to industry best practices. Not only are the
mechanical systems and air handling units unreliable and inefficient, the layout of the entire facility is
simply no longer functional, providing no space to quarantine and care for sick animals. The existing
building is also much smaller than what is currently needed to manage the nearly 4,000 animals that
enter the shelter doors each year. The Animal Care staff are greatly looking forward to the
development of a new shelter that can finally meet the needs and services required by our
community in the modern age.
New Shelter
The new Animal Care facility will be approximately 32,000 square feet, housing 75 - 100 dog kennels
and 175 - 225 cat kennels, more than doubling our current capacity. The new shelter will align with
best practices in the industry, including larger kennels that are at an angle to reduce stress on dogs,
smaller groupings of kennels to help with noise reduction, a state-of-the-art vet clinic, and so much
more. The new facility is planned to be built on the same 12 acres that houses the current facility,
adjacent to other County structures, centrally located in the county while providing spacious corrals
for livestock and convenient access to nearby hiking trails for exercising the animals.
Funding
This project's budget has been set by the Davis County Commissioners at 16.5 million dollars. It
is being funded by the Davis County Commissioners through savings from the capital fund.
Taxpayers will not see a bond or increase in taxes to fund this project.
Current Status
Animal Care of Davis County completed a robust feasibility study in January of 2023 by Citygate
Associates.
Animal Care of Davis County currently has requests for proposals to bring a construction and
architecture firm on board for this project.
We expect to break ground near the end of 2024.
Projected Construction Start
Winter of 2024
Contact
Director Ashleigh Young, ayoung@co.davis.ut.us | 801-444-2220