Margaret J. Maclean Animal Shelter
The new shelter will be located on 26th Avenue NE across from North Middle School. We have secured 4 acres of land through the assistance of the City of Great Falls and a local businessman and his family.
The facility will consist of approximately 17,500 square feet (compared to 4,800 square feet at the existing shelter). It will replace an old and aging shelter that was built in 1972. The current building is too old and small to properly care for animals. It lacks adequate drainage and air exchange systems.
Click here for a virtual tour of current shelter.
The shelter consists of two primary areas: 1) animal control and 2) adoption. Animals who are surrendered by their owners or picked up by animal control officers will reside in the animal control area until they are picked up by their owners or ready to be moved to the adoption area.
The building will contain an educational room, visiting rooms where people can take dogs or cats to consider them for adoption, an indoor exercise yard, a grooming/bathing room for dogs, a treatment/surgery area, cat colonies for cats who can live communally with other felines, and a memorial garden. The building will be a community center and not merely a place to warehouse animals.
The plans of the new shelter are now available for online viewing. Use the naming opportunities sheet with the floor plan and site plan to find an area you would like to support. All documents below are in Adobe PDF format
Floor Plan of the Margaret J. Maclean Shelter
Site Plan of the Margaret J. Maclean Shelter
To learn more about some areas see the following:
Design Drawing of the New Shelter
Cat Areas
Dog Areas
Memorial Gardens
Educational Room
Design Drawing of the New Shelter
Drawing courtesy of L'Heureux, Page Werner Architects, Great Falls, MT
Cat Areas
Did you know that cats are now the most popular domestic pet in the United States? We estimate that there are over 24,000 cats/kittens living in Cascade County.
The Margaret J. Maclean Animal Shelter will provide a safe and secure environment for kittens and cats. There will be an isolation room with its own air exchange system (to prevent the spread of disease) for cats and kittens who enter the facility and are sick. Once the feline recovers, it will be moved to a second holding area to ensure that his or her recovery has been completed.
Healthy cats will be moved to the adoption area. The area will have its own air exchange system to keep the felines healthy and to eliminate odors. To relax the four-legged critters, music will soothe their nerves and make them happy, comfortable, and adoptable.
On nice days, cats can relax in the sun or shade in outdoor pens overlooking the trees and plants in the Memorial Garden.
The public will be able to view the kittens and cats through windows and, if one pulls at an adopter’s heartstrings, the animal and potential owner will be able to get to know each other in a separate visiting room. Adoption will be completed in an adoption room where the owner will receive information about the care of cats, spay & neuter requirements, and registration and micro-chipping options.
Want to help out with the cat area? We have naming rights for the cat room, condos, the communal room and outdoor areas.
Dog Areas
Man’s best friend (over 20,000 in Cascade County) will find a cleaner and quieter environment in the new shelter. If running around a neighborhood and picked up by animal control, the canine will be driven into a garage to prevent escape and he can be unloaded in a warm and clean area.
After being evaluated, sick dogs will be placed in an isolation room until they regain their health. The next step will probably be another holding-type area to maximize good health and minimize the spread of diseases. If the dog belongs to someone, it will be held in a “stray dog” kennel waiting to be picked by his owner.
Dogs who are not picked up, or who have been surrendered, will be groomed to make them feel good and help their chances of adoption. Studies show that 90% of groomed dogs are adopted. No more trying to imagine what that dingy little tan cockapoo would look like if he had a bath and a cut. “What!? He’s white..not tan!”
After grooming, our friends will be held in comfortable areas with another dog or two. They will have an indoor exercise area for a good workout with a volunteer or a potential adopter can see if Fido can catch a frisbee or chase a ball. The room can also be used for basic training—how to sit, stay, and behave!
Memorial Gardens
We plan to build a Memorial Garden adjacent to the new shelter. This will allow people to reflect and honor their deceased pets. Great Falls needs a quiet and comfortable resting place for our animals.
In the Memorial Garden, a pet’s remains will be placed within a columbarium in the garden, with the entry capped with a plaque inscribed with one’s tribune and message. There will also be the opportunity to simply honor a pet that may help alleviate some of the sadness experienced through the loss.
Educational Room
The new shelter will have a large room dedicated to educational services. We believe that a modern building is not the complete solution to improving animal welfare in Great Falls.
One of the crucial components is education. Having space available for educational activities is just one of the many ways the building is being designed to be a community center for animal welfare activities rather than simply a building to house homeless animals.
We envision that the new shelter will have programs such as “kids for critters” camp. This will be action packed with crafts, games, stories, music, and community-building activities that show us how to share the planet with all living creatures.
The educational opportunities are endless. They could include trips to a nearby ranch, creating animal art, discovering how to keep our pets healthy, learning about therapy dogs, or receiving a visit from the K-9 police dog.
One of our endowment funds has been set up for education.