This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Best Friends Animal Society will celebrate the opening of a pet adoption center in Sugar House with a "leash cutting" on Saturday.
The 10,000-square-foot pet adoption center will be permanently located at 2005 S. 1100 East and will showcase an average of 20 dogs and 40 cats for adoption every day it is open, according to a news release. Regular adoption center hours will be Wednesday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The center also will offer free or low-cost spay/neuter resources, pet supplies products and assist the public in controlling stray cats through the trap-neuter-return strategy.
Best Friends hopes to adopt out 600 animals in the center's first year, and to double that goal for 2014, the news release states.
Saturday's grand opening will begin at 10:30 a.m. and feature Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams, Salt Lake County Councilmen Arlyn Bradshaw and Soren Simonsen, Shawn McDonough, Mayor Ralph Becker's community liaison for Sugar House, and Gregory Castle, chief executive officer of Best Friends Animal Society. Castle, along with civic officials, will cut a giant leash and welcome visitors into the new center for tours and a champagne toast.
Best Friends-Utah has been working hard to end the killing of pets in Utah's shelters by promoting adoption, spay/neuter and controlling stray cats since the program began in 1999, according to the news release. The group's goal is to end the killing of adoptable animals in Utah's shelter animals.
For more information, contact Temma Martin at temmam@bestfriends.org or 801-953-8876.