Maricopa County opens new East Valley animal shelter

The long-anticipated new Maricopa County East Valley Animal Care Center is officially open.

Why it matters: The 84,000-square-foot shelter , built on county land at Baseline and McQueen roads in Mesa, has bigger kennels, a state-of-the-art veterinary clinic and a stress- and noise-reducing layout.

• The previous shelter at Rio Salado and Loop 101, which ceased operations April 22, was 30 years old and did not allow for a "high quality of animal care," the county said in its shelter FAQ .

Flashback: The county previously planned to consolidate all shelter services by expanding its Durango location in south Phoenix.

• After spending about $300,000 to study the expansion, the county determined it was not a viable solution.
• In 2021, the county Board of Supervisors allocated $27 million for the new East Valley shelter.

State of play: The Bissell Pet Foundation is waiving adoption fees for all dogs six months and older adopted at county shelters until May 15.

• Puppies will continue to have an adoption fee of $150.

1 fun thing: A shelter dog named Palm bit through a link of sausages in a pup-ified version of a ribbon cutting on Wednesday.