Salt Lake City pet crisis shelter opens expanded facility

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Ruff Haven, a Salt Lake City-based shelter that provides short-term crisis sheltering for the pets of people experiencing emergencies, is opening a new expanded facility on Saturday.

Ruff Haven is the state’s only crisis shelter that focuses on pets of people in crisis, and it is opening an expanded facility with doubled capacity and enhanced veterinary care in Salt Lake City on Saturday, October 4 at 12 p.m. They are partnering with Wasatch Community Clinic to expand on-site veterinary care.

When people need emergency shelter because of homelessness, domestic violence, or hospitalization, their pets often have nowhere to go, because those shelters don’t accept pets. Those pets often get surrendered, and people often can’t get them back once they’re back on their feet.

Ruff Haven “provides enhanced support for households in crisis to ensure more pets stay safely with their families when it matters most,” according to a press release.

The new facility will double Ruff Haven’s capacity for cats and increase housing for dogs of all ages, while offering family visiting spaces so that owners can stay connected with their pets during crisis. It will also expand urgent and preventative veterinary care on site through a partnership with Wasatch Community Clinic.

They will also offer community programs like vaccine clinics, pet food pantries, and outreach events.

If you want to get involved, you support Ruff Haven through space sponsorships. Those sponsorships help fund urgent care rooms, kennels, play areas, and recovery spaces. You can get your name on the space you sponsor in the facility, alongside social media acknowledgement and invitations to special events.

The new facility is located at 254 S. Glendale St. (1135 W.) in Salt Lake City, and the grand opening is open to the public, from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, October 4. You can learn more about the new facility on Ruff Haven’s website here.