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Situated on 5.5 acres on Van Buren Street just blocks from the Loop 202 and directly across the street from Papago Park, the new campus offers 72,000 square feet of medical and behavior rehabilitation space, kennels, adoption facilities, classrooms and much more. It will expand and enhance the care AHS already provides through its Sunnyslope and Nina Mason Pulliam South Mountain campuses as well as its Healthy Tails Mobile Veterinary Clinic.
“A lot of time and effort was put into the design of this space,” AHS President and CEO Steven Hansen said. “We visited at least 50 to 100 shelters around the country, looked at all the good ideas that everybody else put into their shelters and tried to incorporate them here. We’re very, very proud of the space.”
The campus was designed by Boulder, Colorado-based architecture firm Animal Arts Design Studios, which specializes in creating buildings for animal-focused businesses and organizations, such as veterinary clinics, shelters, boarding facilities, and equine and large animal hospitals. Local construction firm Ryan Companies served as general contractor and builder.
As part of its RyanGivesBack initiative, the company provided its services at cost and credited back all of its project fees, reducing the overall cost of the build by about $1 million. The total cost for the project was approximately $52 million.
The Rob and Melanie Walton Foundation, established by the retired board chair of Walmart and his wife, contributed $5 million to the project, one of the largest single donations to AHS in its history. Local business owner Mike Watts and his wife, Cindy, donated the land on which the campus is located.
You’ll never know what you’ll find at the AHS campus. The shelter also cares for and adopts out rabbits, guinea pigs, rats and other small pets.
Rebecca Rhoades
‘You can just spend time here, which is what we want’
The new facility is split between two buildings. The Watts Family Medical Complex houses surgical suites, a trauma center and end-of-life services. AHS takes in 22,000 animals each year, and 80% of those come in through the trauma hospital, according to Hansen.
“Our primary purpose for existing is our hospital,” Hansen said. “Everything else we do supports the hospital.”
At any given time, between 500 to 750 animals are sheltered in the organization’s facilities. Another 500 animals are in foster care. Oversight of this program will occur in the Ann Siner Foster Wing, named after the animal-loving owner of My Sister’s Closet.
Most visitors will come to the Nina Mason Pulliam P.E.T. (pet engagement and training) Center. The building’s bright and airy two-story lobby includes a retail store and outpost of Scottsdale-based Echo Coffee. Adoptable dogs are housed on the ground floor, while available cats are upstairs. Outdoor spaces include a play yard for dogs, catios for feline enrichment and a serenity garden for when it’s time to say goodbye.
“We’re very concerned about the health and welfare of animals first, but we’re also very interested in the health, wealth and welfare of our staff, volunteers and general public,” Hansen explained.
“We want this to be a place for people to just come — get a cup of coffee from Echo Coffee and go upstairs to the catios or take a dog out and walk them across the street at Papago Park. You can come in here and log into the WiFi — you can just spend time here, which is what we want,” he added.
AHS began in June 1957 with a small shelter at 13th Avenue and Hatcher Road in Sunnyslope. Until now, the campus served as the organization’s trauma hospital. With the relocation of the hospital to the Papago Park campus, the Sunnyslope facility will become a spay and neuter clinic serving residents of north Phoenix.
The South Mountain campus, which opened in 2001, will continue to offer adoptions. Because it is located on 20 acres of land, it will house dogs that need behavior modification or lots of space to run. The campus also cares for large animals, such as horses and pot-bellied pigs.
Phoenix New Times got a sneak peek of the world-class Papago Park campus prior to its official opening. Here are some things you can expect to see during your visit.
Situated on 5.5 acres on Van Buren Street just blocks from the Loop 202, the Arizona Humane Society’s new Rob & Melanie Walton Papago Park Campus officially opened on Wednesday.
Rebecca Rhoades
Katherine Daigle performs dental surgery on a cat in the trauma center. “This setup is so much more ergonomic and better for the animals,” she said. I’ve been waiting for the day for it to open since I first heard about it eight or nine years ago. I’m thrilled.”
Rebecca Rhoades
Members of AHS staff, Ryan Companies and Echo Coffee celebrate the opening of the new campus with some puppies who will soon be available for adoption. From left to right are Rob Rigolfi, owner of Echo Coffee; Jennifer Armbruster, AHS senior manager of public relations; Matt Lecureux, project manager for Ryan Companies; Jenny Hershberger, AHS executive assistant; Beau Brush, vice president of construction, Ryan Companies; and Dr. Steven Hansen, president and CEO of AHS.
Rebecca Rhoades
The Bottle Baby Nursery is for orphaned neonate kittens and puppies who are four weeks and younger. Each year, AHS cares for more than 2,000 kittens.
Rebecca Rhoades
The interior is decorated in a cheerful color palette of electric orange and turquoise, with murals by Ula Nero throughout the buildings. In a hallway off the lobby, a display showcases the history of the organization’s first Valley location in Sunnyslope.
Rebecca Rhoades
A retail store offers everything a pet lover could want, including dog toys and treats, cat furniture, pet crates and carriers, prescription food, collars, leashes and much more. There are even gifts and clothing for human companions.
Rebecca Rhoades
Looking for a companion? These cute orange kitties were recently approved for adoption.
Rebecca Rhoades
The lobby at the new Arizona Humane Socity facility includes a full-service outpost of Scottsdale-based Echo Coffee, which offers hot and cold brewed drinks and sweet pastry treats. Since June 2021, owner Rob Rigolfi has been donating 1% of all Echo Coffee revenues to AHS.
Rebecca Rhoades
The new campus features indoor/outdoor dog kennels. The block walls help reduce stress in the animals and help reduce the spread of disease, while the glass walls and grated doors allow natural light and fresh air to filter in.
Rebecca Rhoades
When opened, kennel doors offer dogs access to an outside space. These two dogs currently are available for adoption.
Rebecca Rhoades
A dog is prepped for surgery in the Bissell Pet Foundation Spay & Neuter Unit. Large windows let visitors watch staff doctors and veterinary students perform the procedures on weekdays.
Rebecca Rhoades
Located on the ground floor and connected to a fenced-in ambulance bay, the state-of-the-art trauma center allows sick and injured animals to be assessed and treated immediately on arrival.
Rebecca Rhoades
Art imitates life at the Daryl & Chip Weil Cat Adoption Center as a tuxedo cat — just like his mural doppelganger — awaits visitors. The cat’s condo is divided into two sections: Open bars allow visitors to touch and interact with the animal, while frosted glass provides much-needed privacy.
Rebecca Rhoades
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Rebecca Rhoades
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