ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — The Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando is preparing to open a new 25,000-square-foot shelter on South John Young Parkway near Interstate 4.
The facility is scheduled to open in March, marking a major milestone for the organization after a fire destroyed its previous location.
The new construction follows a 2021 accidental fire at the organization’s Conroy Road facility.
Emergency responders saved 45 cats and 26 dogs during the blaze, though 17 cats died. The new shelter is currently about 90% complete and will focus on expanding medical care and adoption capacity.
Executive Director Steve Bardy gave a tour of the nearly finished building, which features expanded intake areas and visible isolation spaces.
The facility includes a “catio” at the entrance and newly installed kennels sponsored by Stanley Steamer. One of the primary improvements is the addition of air conditioning in the dog areas.
“We wanted it to just, very quickly, be animals first,” Bardy said regarding the design of the space.The shelter has also upgraded its medical facilities to include a full dental suite, surgery spaces and a digital x-ray room.
These additions allow staff to treat animals with more complex needs on-site.
Bardy noted the impact of the increased square footage on their veterinary capabilities. “We’ll just be able to do things medically with dogs and cats that we didn’t have the space to do before,” Bardy said.
Beyond medical care, the organization aims to return to its previous adoption levels. At its peak in 2017 and 2018, the Pet Alliance completed more than 7,000 adoptions annually.
Since the fire, that number has decreased to approximately 3,500 per year due to limited space.
Bardy provided context for the current adoption numbers compared to previous years. “Our height, 2017-2018 we were doing more than 7,000 adoptions a year. You know, now we’ve been doing about 3,500,” he said.
The organization hopes the new facility will facilitate roughly 6,000 adoptions each year.
The transition to the new site comes with emotional weight for the staff following the loss of the old facility.
Bardy described the building as a symbol of progress for the team. “It’s a little emotional,” Bardy said. “A very tragic part of our history that we’ll never forget. But it is that really big first step moving forward.”
To support the organization, Chief Meteorologist Tom Terry will host the Paws in the Park event this Saturday.
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