Animal Shelter Project

The City of Lodi endeavors to construct a modern Animal Shelter facility to support community needs we are unable to serve with the current shelter. The City has partnered with veterinarians from the UC Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Program and architects from LDA Partners to design a facility that will reduce stress on employees and animals, improve animal care, and promote adoptions.

During the initial design and review stages, the City has the choice between a number of potential sites for the new shelter. The public is invited to participate in giving feedback on site selection (See schedule of meetings for details). 

The current Animal Shelter has served the Lodi community since 1958.  Animal care standards have changed dramatically since and the current facility no longer meets the standards of our community for animal care or for our employees.  The original building received an addition in 1983 and has not been updated for nearly 40 years, despite the significant growth of the City.  The current facility is approximately 2,800 square feet and is situated on a quarter-acre parcel along busy Kettleman Lane.

The shelter is cramped, with office and exam rooms doubling as a cat room.  The facility is commonly at 100% capacity leaving no room for additional intake.  Dog kennels face each other, causing excessive barking and stress on the animals.  The facility is dark with little to no natural light and inadequate ventilation.  Quarantining sick animals is challenging, and there is little room for the public to come meet animals for potential adoptions.  

Professional reviews conducted in 2018 and 2022 recommend the City build at least a 10,000 square foot facility (nearly four times the size of the current one) on a two-acre lot (eight times the size of the current lot).  Experts agree that the animal service officers have maximized care in the existing facility, but that it does not meet today’s demands.