PHOENIX — After more than 60 years in the Sunnyslope neighborhood, the Arizona Humane Society is moving its main shelter to a new campus.
The Rob & Melanie Walton Papago Park Campus, located near 56th and Van Buren streets, will officially open to the public on March 6, 2024.
Hundreds of animals receiving medical care through the organization have already been transported to the new location, AHS says.
Upon opening, the Papago Park Campus will reportedly have “state of the art” features and an expanded public veterinary clinic, along with a number of new units and increased care opportunities:
- Watts Family Medical Complex
- Lazin Animal Foundation Trauma Hospital
- Nina Mason Pulliam P.E.T. Center
- BISSELL Pet Foundation Spay & Neuter Unit
- Susan & Mark Mulzet Parvo ICU
- Veterinarian Student Teaching Program and integrated tech for real-time surgery viewing
- Doris Norton Kitten Nursery Unit with Bottle Baby ICU
- The Withycombe Family Mutternity Suites
- Meowternity Suites
- Convenient EAMT™ ambulance zone and dedicated triage area
- Flexible kennel space with maximum natural light to support circadian rhythms
- Ann Siner Foster Wing
- Kallie Rose & Rohit Tripathi Animal Assistance Wing
- Outdoor Pappas Play Yard for dogs
- “Catios” for outdoor enrichments
- Adoptions with calming “meet and greet” spaces
- Jamie L. Middleton Lobby, a welcoming orientation point for adopters, children, and public tours
- Retail store with gear-fitting areas for dogs
- Echo Coffee Shop inside the retail store, just off the lobby.
- Paw-cademy Classrooms and community spaces
- Suzanne Pearl Family Serenity Garden—a quiet, safe space for saying goodbye
- Cece Claudio Feline Critical Care Center
The new campus has been under construction since its groundbreaking in November 2021.
After opening, the Papago campus is "where the community will need to bring sick/injured homeless pets moving forward and where they’ll receive treatment, as well as where fosters will pick up and drop off pets," a spokesperson said.
Pet adoptions will also be done out of the Papago campus, in addition to the South Mountain and PetSmart Scottsdale adoption locations.
Take a look inside the new Papago Park location in the video player below:
Learn more about the new campus and its services here.
What's next for the current Sunnyslope location?
While everything is being moved over to the new location, the Arizona Humane Society says its shelter services will not be available at its original location near 13th Avenue and Hatcher Road, where they had been since 1957.
"If you have found an injured stray, please take them to our new PPC campus at 5501 E Van Buren St. OR call our Field Operations Team, 602.997.7585 ext. 2073, if the pet cannot be moved," AHS said Tuesday.
The Sunnyslope location will now transition into a veterinary clinic, AHS says.
The location's Marge Wright Public Veterinary Clinic will remain open and public veterinary services.
"It will be expanded to offer more services beyond just spay/neuter, vaccines, and microchips so it’s more of a full-service vet clinic for owned pets," a spokesperson said.
RELATED STORIES:
- SB1047: New Arizona animal cruelty bill introduced to protect pets, prosecute violators
- Arizona Humane Society sees highest intake rate in a decade
- Foster families needed to help overcrowded animal shelters in Arizona
Videos in the player above highlight ABC15's previous coverage of Arizona Humane Society and its services.
