Merged shelters, special-needs pets keep director occupied

Dan Rossi’s new office in Homewood is bigger and brighter than his old one in Larimer, but some things never change. He still shares his workspace with a changing cast of special-needs animals. On this day it’s four 10-dayold kittens and two parrots — one with a feather-plucked breast — who screeched and chattered until he stepped over to their cage to greet them.

At the new $15 million animal shelter that opened in January, he sits for an interview to discuss the benefits and challenges of running a “new” shelter formed by the merger of the Animal Rescue League and the Western Pennsylvania Humane Society.

Since the merger, Mr. Rossi has been CEO of what is temporarily known as Animal Rescue League/ Western PA Humane Society. On Friday the new name will be announced. Mr. Rossi has been executive director of the Animal Rescue League for seven years.

Since the new shelter in Homewood opened, “We have had twice as many visitors and adoptions are up,” Mr. Rossi said. “We had 23 adoptions last weekend.”

The public is invited to an official grand opening of the new facility — called the East End Animal Resource Center — next Saturday from noon-4 p.m. Visitors can tour the building and see all of the animals available for adoption. There will be refreshments and vendors.

Each year, the merged shelters adopt out more than 7,000 animals. Mostly dogs and cats, they also include rabbits, birds, guinea pigs, hamsters, turtles, snakes, spiders, and the occasional pig or other pet that owners are unable or unwilling to care for any longer.

The merged shelters have a yearly operating budget of $6.5 million, 140 full- and part-time employees, and 500 volunteers. There are three locations: ARL’s wildlife center in Verona, the Humane Society’s North Side shelter and the new shelter in Homewood, which replaced the ARL shelter three blocks away in Larimer. That building has been sold and the new one is almost paid for, thanks to more than $12 million in fundraising, Mr. Rossi noted.

The interview moves out of Mr. Rossi’s office, made noisy by the chattering conure parrots. The birds had a loving owner for 15 years, but she became too ill to care for them. After losing her owner, the female plucked out her breast feathers, which is what parrots do when they are stressed. The feathers are growing back now.