<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=40TUWy_1GoVOY6500" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=40TUWy_1GoVOY6500" width="1280" height="853" ><figcaption>Metro Animal Services Director Jodi Decker smiles as city officials ceremonially break ground on the new Metro Animal Services building on Thursday, Nov. 5. (Tommy Culkin, Oil City News)</figcaption></figure>CASPER, Wyo. — Work on the new Metro Animal Services building will soon begin in earnest, after local leaders officially broke ground on the construction site Thursday, Nov. 5. “For more than 40 years, our current facility has served the animals and citizens of our community,” Metro Animal Services Manager Jodi Decker said during the ceremony. “While it has served us well, the reality is that it can no longer meet the needs of modern welfare or the growing demands of our community.” Decker, who has managed the shelter for two years, described the plans for the new building as a fundamental shift away from traditional town impound operations toward a modern model centered on giving as much personalized care to animals as possible. “We are moving beyond an outdated mentality of a traditional town and embracing a modern approach to animal sheltering, one centered on compassion, rehabilitation, responsible care and finding the right outcome for every animal,” she said with a smile. Architecturally, the new facility will be designed to reduce stress on animals by separating dogs and cats into separate wings. Within the dog wing, kennels are divided into smaller, boxed-off sections holding a maximum of eight kennels per area. This replaces the current setup, in which Decker said as many as 30 dogs are housed in a single room, which often creates high noise levels and stress for the animals. The new building will also feature meet-and-greet rooms for prospective pet adopters and improved administrative offices for the staff. Metro operates as a division of the Casper Police Department, and Chief Shane Chaney said the new facility should help Metro with its animal control and sheltering needs as well. “We have partnerships with our other surrounding communities like Mills, Bar Nunn and Natrona County, and we get lots of calls for dogs at large, nuisances, cats stuck in traps — lots of things like that,” the police chief said. According to data from Chaney, Metro Animal Services responded to 4,235 total animal-related calls in 2025. Those included 1,728 stray animal cases, 227 vicious animal cases and 253 reports of animal bites. In addition to the improvements to animal care and staff efficiency, the new shelter will provide structural improvements as the current shelter suffers from infrastructure decline. Issues at Metro’s current building include crumbling walls, a sagging ceiling and roof leaks that cause interior flooding during heavy rainfall, Decker previously told Oil City News. Decker thanked city officials for helping to make the new shelter a reality. Vice Mayor Kyle Gamroth in turn thanked the Metro staff for working and the Casper voters for making the project a reality at the ballot box in 2024 with the approval of the SPEC tax proposal. “We wouldn’t be here today if people didn’t show up at the ballot box and approve this, and I think those people are going to be really excited and grateful once this is complete,” Gamroth told Oil City News. Construction is slated to begin soon, and Decker said the project is expected to span roughly a year, with completion targeted for late 2027 or early 2028. </div></body>

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CASPER, Wyo. — Work on the new Metro Animal Services building will soon begin in earnest, after local leaders officially broke ground on the construction site Thursday, Nov. 5. “For more than 40 years, our current facility has served the animals and citizens of our community,” Metro Animal Services...

Ground broken on new Metro Animal Services facility

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CASPER, Wyo. — Work on the new Metro Animal Services building will soon begin in earnest, after local leaders officially broke ground on the construction s

Ground broken on new Metro Animal Services facility

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