Bigger dogs welcome as Oyster Bay plans animal shelter upgrades

The kennels at the Oyster Bay Animal Shelter in Syosset are nearly four decades old. There aren’t enough large kennels to house the big dogs that are being dropped off more and more frequently. The aging heating and cooling system is breaking down.

But upgrades are on the way as the town plans to spend about $1.1 million on major renovations: Larger kennels for the big dogs along with a new air conditioning and heating system, are planned, as are new floors and walls for the cattery, a separate room where the shelter cats stay.

A fresh coat of paint for the outside of the building, new doors and masonry repair, are scheduled for this month. The interior work is set to start in October, town officials said.

The town needs to make space for big dogs, which are making up a greater share of the shelter’s pet population, said Laurie Scarpa, a deputy commissioner of the town’s Department of Environmental Resources.

“There’s so many bigger dogs that come in here now,” Scarpa, who oversees the shelter, said. “They need a bigger space.” 

The new kennels will have partitions that give the dogs more privacy. And there will be Dutch doors that allow staff to open the top and bottom of the kennel’s door separately. This way staff can pop in to the kennels more easily and tend to the dogs when they are frightened, she said.

By improving the HVAC system, the animals will not only be more comfortable but breathe better, said Diane Johnson, the vice president of shelter operations for the North Shore Animal League.

“A proper-running HVAC will filter in clean air and pull out contagion,” she said. “It’s important to have those kind of things to keep the animals healthy.”

The upgrades will also allow visitors to view the animals in a better light.

Oyster Bay Supervisor Joseph Saladino said he hopes the town’s upgrades will not only reduce their stress levels, but “make them an even better candidate for adoption.”

Across the country, animal shelters have been inundated as owners struggle to find housing and afford pet ownership.

That influx appears to have cooled, according to national data. But many shelters are still packed.

Nationally, pet adoptions were down 5% year-to-year through the first half of 2024, according to the Shelter Animals Count, a national database of shelter statistics. 

Pets are staying longer in shelters, too, the organization found.

The town received a $200,000 state grant last year to offset the cost of the project.

Last year, state officials awarded $7.6 million to 21 animal shelters and humane societies through the state’s Companion Animal Capital Fund. On Long Island, Oyster Bay and North Hempstead were each awarded $200,000, as was the Pioneers for Animal Welfare Society in Hicksville and the Kent Animal Shelter in Calverton.

Other towns are upgrading their shelters, too.

North Hempstead is renovating its Port Washington shelter, with the total cost expected to reach $1 million.

The town is planning upgrades to the heating and cooling system, new generators, and new cement slabs and sheds, said Kristin Seleski, the town’s Department of Public Works commissioner. 

In Hempstead, a state grant funded a turf play yard for dogs at its shelter. The town also paid for new play areas and kennel door upgrades, officials said.

The Oyster Bay shelter held 30 cats and 20 dogs on July 31, town officials said.

So far this year, the number of pet adoptions at the Oyster Bay shelter is about the same as last year.

A total of 31 dogs have been adopted between Jan. 1 and July 31 this year, compared to 29 during the same period in 2023. Meanwhile, 131 cats have been adopted during that span in 2024, compared to 129 last year.