EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. — The animal shelter Gateway Pet Guardians is moving their operations to East St. Louis.
Last summer, the non-profit won a $201,000 bid to buy the former Miles Davis Elementary School.
Currently, Gateway Pet Guardians operates out of a small facility in St. Louis. Their building only has 13 kennels and most of their dogs are in foster homes.
The former school is 54,000 square feet and executive director Jamie Case said this will be a game changer for their operations and bring a lot of change to the East St. Louis area.
“There’s nothing here. There’s no veterinarian, no pet store. We’re coming in to bring all those services to a community that needs it the absolute most,” said Case.
The new facility will have a giant adoption center, outdoor runs for the dogs, a retail center and low-cost vet clinic.
“Anyone in the area will be able to come and receive low cost vaccines and basic care for their pet,” said Case.
It also means more jobs in that area. Once they open, they’ll be hiring people part-time to run the veterinary side of the shelter.
There’s still a lot of work to do. On April 13 they will have an open house for the public. They’re collecting donations to help make their plans a reality.