Larger pet adoption site in works

Furry Friends Adoption Clinic and Ranch is expected to begin clearing ground this month to build a $2.5 million clinic/adoption facility for dogs and cats in Jupiter.

“We are still in the dark ages the way we treat pets. My dream is to build the best facility we can with the most up-to-date equipment and make it affordable for the owners. We want to make the animals as comfortable as we can,” said Herb Baum, chairman of the Furry Friends board of directors.

Furry Friends is a not-forprofit animal rescue organization on Maplewood Drive behind The Home Depot. The organization was formerly called Safe Harbor, which was dissolved in 2013 over financial problems. The Furry Friends organization has a new management team and new board of directors.

The 7,000-square-foot facility has an adoption center, offices and veterinary clinic. Services include annual wellness checks, blood work, X-rays, dental cleaning, spay/ Bill DiPaolo neuter surgery and laser therapy. The clinic also offers an online pharmacy.

“The need for the new center has grown tremendously in recent years. I got a call the other day from Jupiter police. They found a dog in a home where a person had died. I took the dog to our clinic,” said Pat Deshong, president of Furry Friends.

The organization also operates a 27-acre ranch in Palm City.

The new facility on Jupiter Park Drive near Busch Wildlife Sanctuary will be a twostory building twice as large as the current one. Opening is planned for the beginning of 2018.

Furry friends has raised about half of the required $2.5 million.

The 37 employees strive to match pets with the most qualified owners, said Deshong. The boost in space for classes and the meet-andgreet area will help match owners and pets, she said.

“It’s important that the adoptions stick. We don’t want to have the animals returned,” Deshong said.

The outdoor exercise area will be a big boost to the dogs and cats waiting for adoption, said Ed O’Sullivan, vice chairman of Furry friends.

“It will be so much better to allow them to spend more time outside,” O’Sullivan said.

The expansion is needed to meet the growing need for animals shelters and adoption centers in north county, said former Jupiter Mayor Karen Golonka, a member of the board of directors.

“Furry Friends is a growing community asset that helps us find homes for animals and provide affordable medical care,” said Golonka.