Pet adoption fees waived in Pinellas County as shelter undergoes renovations

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Pinellas County Animal Services is waiving all adoption fees while its kennels get a facelift.

It’s losing more than half of its space to house animals during the construction. Phase one of the project, renovating the shelter’s two largest dog buildings, started last November.

"We also upgraded our kennels, and they now include expansion gates and built in beds," Jennifer Renner, Interim Director of Pinellas County Animal Services, said. "We've removed all the grates to protect the paws of our dogs and cats," she said.

Perhaps the most exciting upgrade is air conditioning.

"It gets extremely hot here in the summer, of course, as anyone that lives here knows. And so, these comfort upgrades are going to be for the pets and for the people providing the care," she said.

County money from the Penny for Pinellas fund is paying for the $3.5 million project.

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"It was extremely needed. The kennels previously were crumbling," Renner said. "It is much more open and bright. The kennels are more comfortable for the dogs."

Phase two of the project, another dog building and one cat building, will start when phase one opens next week. The buildings will also be hardened to withstand a Category 4 hurricane compared to only a 1 or a 2 for the current buildings.

During hurricanes, if someone with special needs checks into a hurricane shelter in Pinellas County, Animal Services will take care of their pet during the storm.

"That's extremely important that this shelter is a safe haven for our staff as well as the pets in our care if a disaster does strike this area," Renner said.

Since their capacity is cut in half during construction, Animal Services is offering free adoptions. Renner said the community has stepped up and adopted 561 pets since the project started last fall.

"We have the community to thank as well as the volunteers for the hard work that they also put into this project. They are just as excited as we are to see this go into completion," she said.

Construction on the entire project is expected to be finished by the end of the year. Free adoptions will last until the project is finished. 

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