The 44,000 square foot enclosure was made possible thanks to the Marie Schipper Trust.
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Nearly two years ago, the Kent County Animal Shelter received a special surprise gift from the Marie Schipper trust.
That’s when the planning started—and now, the shelter is celebrating a new addition.
Sweet adoptable Millie is enjoying playtime in the Kent County Animal Shelter’s new dog park.
“We’ve had some dogs that are with us for over a year, and enrichment is a really important part of keeping those dogs healthy and happy,” said Angela Hollinshead, director of the Kent County Animal Shelter.
In December of 2022 the animal shelter received its largest donation ever—$90,000.
“I had the opportunity to speak to the niece of Marie Schipper, and Marie, she was an animal lover, and I think that she knew that she wanted to have a lasting impact somewhere with animal welfare in the community,” Hollinshead said.
The shelter has always had a small outdoor space with a cement floor next to the building.
This 44,000 square foot enclosure is a massive upgrade.
“One of the hardest things for us as shelter employees is to see an animal who is who is not thriving in our care, because maybe they don’t have the resources, or we don’t have the resources that we can provide them to allow them to thrive,” Hollinshead said.
The dirt floor will allow the dogs to happily dig holes or simply lay down to chew on a squeaky toy.
Chasing small creatures up tall trees is a fun distraction for Millie and offers time away from her kennel inside.
“There’s those natural scents that the dogs really enjoy sniffing out. They also now have the opportunity to engage in a bigger space for play groups,” Hollinshead said.
Soon, tires will be added to the park for an obstacle course and vertical ramps for agility work.
“Our dog park now allows us to add one more thing that we can do to help them and maintain quality of life while they’re in our care,” Hollinshead said.
Hopefully Millie and dozens more like her won’t have to wait too long for a forever home. Until then, this new dog park is a big win for the dogs at the shelter.
A portion of the donation was also used to get a new X-ray machine for the shelter.
Hollinshead said they are grateful for this life-changing gift.
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