HALO Animal Rescue is moving our main shelter and base of operations in late December.  HALO's life-saving work will now occur in a portion of the Maricopa County Animal Care and Control (MCACC) Durango campus here in Phoenix.  Not only will this solve the problem of how HALO will continue to save 4,000 lives per year after the lease at our current facility is up in late 2013, but it will also be an opportunity to do more for the animals than ever before.

The most exciting thing about the move is that HALO Animal Rescue and MCACC have created a groundbreaking plan to save more lives together than they could separately, and at the same time provide improved standards of care for all the animals in the shelter.

"Would the animals want us to spend millions of dollars building a new shelter, or would they want us to think outside the box a little, so that money can continue to go directly towards saving their lives?"

-Heather Allen, HALO President and Co-Founder

Why we have to move

For the last 4 1/2 years, HALO has been the beneficiary of a low-cost lease at our shelter on 35th Avenue.  Unfortunately, the property has been sold and the new owners will not allow HALO to renew their lease.  This would have left HALO with no place to go to continue our work on behalf of our deserving pet population.

The search for a new home

As a result, HALO President Heather Allen and the Board of Directors started searching for a new place to house HALO's life-saving operations.  We explored starting a capital campaign to raise the funds to build a brand new shelter for HALO.  We explored sharing a facility with a local vet college.  But the most promising opportunity came from another animal organization in our community, Maricopa County Animal Care and Control (MCACC).

Partnership with MCACC

HALO has worked with MCACC for years through their New Hope program, in which HALO and other no-kill shelters rescue animals in danger of euthanasia at MCACC's shelter.  HALO has saved tens of thousands of lives this way over the years.  In 2011, HALO partnered more closely with Maricopa County when they generously allowed HALO to rent 60 kennels at a very low rent.

In the fall of this year, MCACC sent out a request to the animal rescue community, asking for a no-kill shelter to work more closely with them in a partnership to save more lives than ever before.  HALO answered the call and our proposal was selected by MCACC.

An opportunity to save more lives

If there's one thing that HALO knows how to do well, it's getting animals into their new homes lickety split.  All the animals at the county shelter will now be able to benefit from some of the adoption-promoting strategies that HALO has learned, such as nice photos and online bios of adoptable animals, offsite adoption events, and more face-to-face adoption counseling.

Enhanced care for the homeless animals

Working together, HALO and MCACC will be able to provide all of the animals at the shelter with improved standards of care.  How will the homeless dogs and cats of Phoenix benefit from this partnership?

-bedding for every animal

-more time to play with the volunteers

-more comprehensive medical treatments

-enhanced sanitation procedures

-toys for every animal

Current timeline of changes

12/17:  Move announced

12/31:  Final day of moving out of 35th Avenue shelter

Stay tuned for more information

Updates will be posted on this page, sent out in our monthly e-newsletter, and also shared on HALO's Facebook page.

Starting Jan. 1st, our new address will be:

HALO Animal Rescue

2500 South 27th Avenue

Phoenix, AZ 85009

There will be many costs associated with the move.  Of the ones we've identified, it looks like transferring all of our current animal rescue operations into MCACC's building will cost almost $200,000. 

Some of the costs will include:

-Installing internet and a phone system (already raised!)

-Buying additional storage sheds (already raised!)

-Installing faux grass and shade structures for the dog exercise yards (currently need, read more below)

-Building shade structures for the dog exercise yards

-Paying moving costs

-Getting additional cleaning and feeding carts

-Providing bedding for all the animals.

It seems like a lot of money, but there are lots of supporters of HALO just like you, too!  If all of you help HALO with a gift of $15, we'll have more than enough to move.  Donate towards HALO's relocation

The next thing we need funds for is really important to us:

Fixing the dog exercise yards at the MCACC building!

This is what the dog play areas currently look like.

We want to make them better for all the dogs at the shelter.  We want the dogs to have soft grass to play in, that can be easily cleaned and sanitized.

We fixed up one of the exercise yards last year with some pet-friendly, easy to clean artificial grass.  It looks very inviting and the dogs love it!

"I love playing in the grass... lots better than the hot gravel!" -Snow Angel, HALO dog

 There are two other dog play areas that need to be fixed up.

The dogs need a fun place to romp together, play with the volunteers, and get the chance to forget for a little while that they're in a shelter.

Please help us by making a donation towards the new grass play yards.  This can make the doggies much healthier and happier while they wait for their forever homes.

Donate to fix the dog play yards

If more than we need to fix up the play yards is donated, then we will put the rest towards the other relocation costs.

Thank you for helping the doggies have a little fun!

About 96,000 animals enter the shelters in Maricopa County each year.  Approximately half of them leave alive.  

The other half are euthanized.  These are the animals that HALO focuses on saving.  We take animals in danger of euthanasia at other valley shelters and give them love, care, and medical treatment, and then find them loving forever homes. 

Our resources are limited to pay for their necessary vaccinations, antibiotics, spay/neuter surgeries, etc., so we can only save as many dogs and cats as we can afford.  With support from our fellow animal lovers, we can afford to save more lives.

You can help us save more lives by Adopting, Volunteering, and Donating.

 Boomie, one of the hundreds of animals HALO rescued this month

Total Adoptions Year to date in 2011:

 Total Adoptions Year to date in 2012:

Thank you for supporting our mission:

Helping Animals Live On.