Lakewood Ranch Humane Society hunts for new space

Lakewood Ranch’s Susan Giroux laughed as she approached a dog named Burt, jumping with excitement in his cage as if he were riding a pogo stick.

He’s just one animal currently available for adoption at the Humane Society at Lakewood Ranch, which houses about 20 animals at a time in its space at 7334 Trade Court, in the  Lakewood Ranch Corporate Park.

For the last six-and-a-half years, this spot within Stanley Steemer’s facility has been a rent-free space through which nearly 700 dogs and cats have been adopted.

But both Stanley Steemer and the Humane Society need more space.

“We’ve been growing,” said Giroux, a Humane Society board member. “We’d love to be able to double or triple our space."

Stanley Steemer needs to assume the space to meet growth demands and has given the Humane Society until Dec. 1 to find a new location. 

“We didn’t want to make the phone call, but we’ve known for the last two years we’ve been outgrowing the portion of the building we had,” said Connie Gellner, who owns Stanley Steemer with her husband, Mark. “The economy is back. We need to move into that space to grow. They’ve been so understanding.”

About two years ago, Stanley Steemer took back one room for an office for its manager. The Humane Society had been using it for cats. Humane Society leaders knew change would be coming and were facing their own space limitations.

The Humane Society has time to find a new location, and it can move as soon as it is ready. It hopes to stay in Lakewood Ranch to be easily accessible to its volunteer base.

“Right now, we need space and we’re willing to pay rent for it,” said Giroux, a Humane Society board member.

The ideal facility would be at least 3,500 square feet to 6,000 square feet with several rooms the organization can use for offices, supplies, education, separation of dogs and cats and quarantine for new animals, for example.

It also must have an area in which dogs can be walked nearby — volunteers walk dogs a minimum of 20 minutes three times a day — and there needs to be outdoor space, such as a parking lot, at which the Humane Society can conduct volunteer and animal training.

Other wish list items include a play area for dogs and space for dog runs/kennels, so dogs can run throughout the day. 

A larger space will allow the Humane Society to take in larger breed dogs. It currently focuses on small to mid-size dogs because of space limitations.

With any move, Humane Society leaders hope to not only expand space for animals — doubling or tripling capacity — but also for expanding services. It has programs through which children come to the shelter and read to dogs, or volunteers go teach children about proper dog care and handling, but more of that programming is needed. It also would be able to take more donations of food, which it then can distribute to families in need. 

“We want to save more animals, period,” Giroux said. “We want to have a bigger impact on the community through education.”

“They catapulted us to this level so we can expand and continue saving dogs and cats,” fellow Humane Society board member Rebekah Boudrie said.

The Humane Society closed its money-making Second Chance Boutique, a consignment shop off Lake Osprey Drive, Lakewood Ranch, in December because of an increase in rent.

“We’re looking for a spot for that, too,” Giroux said.