Over the past 23 years, the Dearborn Animal Shelter, which houses Friends for Animals of Metro Detroit, has cared for more than 52,000 animals. That’s a lot of lost pet reunions and happy new homes. But our current shelter is crowded and outdated, and has only 4,000 square feet. There’s good news, though! The new shelter, opening at the end of the month, will be 16,000 square feet and have much more comfortable accommodations for the animals in our care. Stay tuned for more details!

It’s good timing that the new Animal Adoption and Education Center is opening, too, because it’s “BARK to School” season at FAMD. Linda, our licensed and accredited animal behavior expert, is offering several training classes this fall for dogs of all training levels, from puppies all the way to individualized training sessions and AKC Good Canine Citizen certification. You can find more information about our training classes and schedule here.

And if you find yourself with a little more time on your hands now that the kids are back in school, we have some great ways to fill your time! You could volunteer with us as a foster for kittens or puppies, or by sewing kitty blankets or folding newspapers for the kennels! We could also use some help supply shopping: feel free to pick up any of the items on our wish list the next time you’re out at the grocery store.

Finally, with all that extra time, why not bring a special new someone home? We have a whole lot of wonderful dogs and cats in need of homes. Right now we’re running an adoption special on cats: just $5 adoption fees for adult cats! And that includes their spay/neuter, microchip and all vaccinations up to date! You can view all of our adoptable animals by visiting us at the shelter or by going to our website.