NORTH HOLLYWOOD : Improvements Considered for Animal Shelter

Hoping to shield puppies and kittens from the diseases that plague older dogs and cats, city officials are considering using $300,000 in private donations to create separate kennels and upgrade medical facilities at a North Hollywood shelter, officials said Monday.

The Department of Animal Regulation’s Board of Commissioners has instructed the city architect to develop a new plan for the East Valley Animal Care and Control Center, which could include separate kennels and upgraded hospital facilities, said Bob Pena, spokesman for the department.

“Three-hundred thousand has been donated to the city to pay for the changes,” Pena said. “This will probably include renovating the kennel, which may include a new puppy and kitten room and upgrading the hospital facility.”

The shelter on Sherman Way now houses about 185 dogs and 100 cats, of which 35 are puppies and 40 are kittens, said Lisa Goodman, a senior animal control officer at the center.

Although the young animals are vaccinated upon entry to the shelter and kept in separate cages like the adults, they are still close enough to catch diseases such as distemper, hepatitis and feline leukemia, Goodman said.

“When you put a puppy into the main kennel run, it’s a stressful environment,” Goodman said. “Stressed animals have a tendency to get sick.”

Despite the need and the availability of funding, any work on the shelter may take a while, Pena said. The commissioners rejected a plan presented Monday by the city architect’s office, ordering them to come up with another version.

As Pena explained, the plan was not exactly the cat’s meow. “Some of the changes cost more than the money allowed,” Pena said. “They didn’t care for that.”