The existing building does not meet current standards in animal welfare. Its inaccessible location and limited capacity do not support the ever-increasing demand for delivery of the Society’s vital community programs and services. Built over 50 years ago with donated labour and supplies, the current RHS facility is beyond repair and well past its service life. The RHS has developed a new Animal Community Centre for Regina which supports the needs of its rapidly growing community in an effective, efficient, and sustainable manner that aligns with best-practice standards, community values and the evolution in animal facility design.

We are not building another traditional animal shelter. We are building a modern Animal Community Centre. This 10-years-in-the making animal shelter / adoption / education / community center is designed to be a destination for people of all walks of life to learn about and appreciate our unique relationship with pets. Advances in science, a heightened recognition of the role of animals in people’s lives, improved knowledge and better models have created a new standard in animal facility design. Several other Humane Societies in Canada such as Winnipeg, Ottawa, and Edmonton, have completed new buildings which reflect this design evolution. The RHS Animal Community Centre will be consistent with new facilities built across Canada and beyond. 

The Centre will be an efficient and cost-effective model of humane care and community involvement with the health standards of a hospital, the educational aspects of a school and the appeal of a community destination welcoming visitors to participate in comprehensive programming.  The RHS Animal Community Centre will not only be the best place to adopt a pet, but also the best place to learn about, engage with, and celebrate animals.

The RHS Animal Community Centre will offer safe refuge for homeless pets; an adoption gallery with home-like habitats for dogs and cats; an education center with multi-purpose classrooms for after-hours public use; a veterinary hospital supporting RHS animals as well as continued delivery of subsidized spay/neuter services to financially disadvantaged pet owners; family pet cremations; dog park; dog washing station; green spaces; training centre and gift shop.

Animal welfare standards that were acceptable half a century ago are not acceptable today. Once built solely to house animals, the modern Animal Community Centre considers the physical and emotional well-being of animals and the people who love them.

Animals and people are much alike - they enjoy fresh air, sunlight, and a peaceful, open space to call home. The new Animal Community Centre will be designed with this in mind, most notably:

• an architecturally modern design reflecting the Harbour Landing community with fully accessible spaces for people and pets of all abilities;
• intentionally designed and functionally organized spaces and finishes that reflect best practice biosecurity, acoustic and odor control;
• cages replaced with clean, warm, home-like habitats for dogs and cats;
• an education and community centre including classrooms, catering kitchen and garden areas available for after-hours public use;
• educational learning experiences including exhibits, activities, and exploration stations for all ages;
• a fully equipped veterinary clinic to ensure that shelter animals receive care when they need it most;
• dedicated spaces to support animal enrichment and volunteer programming;
• indoor canine play and exercise spaces as well as reward-based training centre with access to a self-serve dog wash; and
• fenced and landscaped large and pint-sized dog park.

While a new building is required, what it will enable in the community is significant – a Centre that engages youth and families; provides support and services; teaches new skills; inspires positive action and responsibility; instills humane values and builds community.  New and enhanced RHS programs currently limited by space and location include:

• humane and curriculum-based education and dog safety programs provided to school aged children;
• animal focused youth camps, courses, and events such as Pet Sitters Course for Kids, Junior Vets in Training, and birthday parties;
• special needs service learning and volunteer opportunities;
• literacy focused reading programs with animals such as Kitty Readers and Read & Relax;
• pet-assisted therapy provided to long term care, seniors, and children’s treatment facilities;
• social and recreational seniors’ activities with, and for, shelter pets;
• adult focused programming such as Pet Loss Support, Pet First Aid and Yoga with Pets;
• community access to indoor/outdoor spaces as venues for meetings, clubs, sports groups, receptions, cultural and corporate events;
• indoor canine enrichment and play/reward-based training centre with access to self-serve dog wash;
• accessible animal wellness outreach services for at-risk and underserved pet owners; and
• a community destination attracting residents and visitors to learn about, engage with and celebrate animals.

A shelter facility designed with animal health and welfare at the core can be transformative not only to the animals housed there but also to the people who care for them and to the communities they serve.  The new Animal Community Centre will meet all animal welfare standards and best practices to support animal well-being and positive outcomes, most notably:

• reduced stress and improved animal health by incorporating cleaner, comfortable, and open home-like habitats;
• state of the art waste-removal and cleaning technology;
• access to expanded veterinary services tailored to meet the needs of homeless, neglected, and abused pets;
• increased pet adoption fostered by a welcoming and easily accessible space;
• access to outdoor areas for fresh air, sunlight, exercise, and socialization;
• convenient location close to public transit and bike routes to grow volunteer programs that directly support shelter animal well-being; and
• in-house behaviour assessment and rehabilitation programs for shelter pets. 

Traditionally designed to warehouse animals, new models in animal sheltering reflect the evolution in humane housing and pro-active population management. The RHS operates under the best practice shelter management model Capacity for Care.  Under this model, managed admission systems coordinate the number of animals who are in the shelter at any one time so that available resources can best meet each animal’s needs, reducing their length of stay and increasing positive outcomes. The Animal Community Centre and its programming are designed not to warehouse more animals, but to reduce the number of animals in the community in crisis, and ensure an efficient flow-through of animals in its care to positive outcomes so that more spaces to hold them are not required. 

The Animal Community Centre has been designed by Number TEN Architectural Group and associate architect 1080 Architecture Planning + Interiors in collaboration with George Miers of Swatt|Miers Architects as design and planning consultant.

The new building will be located at 4900 Parliament Avenue, immediately south of the Regina International Airport boundary.  The current planning timeline anticipates opening of the facility to occur in the late summer of 2023.

The RHS Animal Community Centre building will be approximately 38,000 square feet, close to double the size of the current facility, on 2.64 acres with 56,000 square feet of park-like exercise and recreation areas as well as easy access from transit and bike routes.

You can view renderings of the building here. A downloadable Look Book is also available here.

No, the RHS will not provide veterinary services to the public other than its existing provision of subsidized services to financially disadvantaged pet owners.

Advancements in animal care design bring people and animals together in healthy, mutually supportive environments. Design of the new facility will encompass the biosecurity standards of a hospital, the educational aspects of a school and the appeal of a community destination welcoming visitors to participate in comprehensive programming.  With this in mind, rooms are designed to be odor free and to provide acoustic controls both inside and outside the building to support both animal and public well-being.

Warehousing animals does not reflect the complexity of animal welfare biosecurity or best practice nor does it reflect the values of our community.  This type of traditional animal shelter facility does not support the physical, emotional, and mental well-being of the animals or people who live in, work at and engage with the Regina Humane Society.

The Regina Humane Society will continue to be open throughout the construction of its new facility.

The total cost of the project including land, design, construction, equipment and campaign costs is $28 million.

For the past 33 years, the City of Regina and the Regina Humane Society have forged an enduring positive agreement to provide centralized and cost-effective municipal animal services which ensure the health, safety and well-being for Regina’s people and animals. Effective January 2015, a 20-year Municipal Animal Services Agreement with the City of Regina confirmed the City’s commitment to 46% of costs related to this service delivery in a new Animal Community Centre. The remaining cost will be raised through an RHS Capital Campaign.  The RHS is fortunate to have raised a significant amount of the campaign goal to date through Animal Community Centre project designated gifts from generous donors and invites the community to donate and support this important initiative.

You can make an online donation here. For transformational gifts or for more information about naming opportunities in the building, please contact Karen Mercier, Capital Campaign Director here.

Yes. There are many options for naming opportunities available starting at $5,000. A listing of available opportunities can be found here. All gifts over $5,000 can be pledged for a period of up to five years. To reserve a space, please contact Karen Mercier, Capital Campaign Director here.

Yes, gifts to the Campaign will receive a charitable tax receipt in February of the following year unless an immediate receipt is requested or the gift is made online. Those making a gift to the Campaign monthly will receive a cumulative tax receipt at the end of the year.

Yes, to learn more about how you can lend your time and expertise to help with the Campaign please contact Karen Mercier, Capital Campaign Director here.

You can view how much money has been raised towards our goal here.

When donations, estates or other financial gifts are received as capital campaign contributions, these monies are immediately identified and tracked as such within the Regina Humane Society’s CRM database. These funds are then set aside in a separate account or placed into investments until they are needed to put towards costs for the new Centre.

You can visit reginahumanesociety.ca.