The Halifax Regional Municipality is looking for a new animal shelter service to house rescued and neglected dogs, cats and exotic animals.

The city is looking for a shelter with a minimum of 15 kennels for dogs, five for cats and at least one for other animals such as ferrets and reptiles.

It must also have a contingency plan to handle any overflow and a way to care for animals for an extended period of time if they are held for evidence or court proceedings.

The shelter would be the keeper for all animals picked up by HRM Animal Services, so the tender also calls for a facility that can provide 24-hour access for animal bylaw officers.

Coun. David Hendsbee said the city is not interested in building its own facility because it would cost more than $1 million.

"All we're doing is looking for a venue available to us to use for services … a proponent in the general public to see if they have a facility either available now or want to build a facility they can utilize to service this contract," he said.

Old contract expires

The current shelter, run by the Nova Scotia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, receives about $500,000 a year from the city for its services. But the city's contract with the non-profit organization expires next spring.

A study by the municipality in 2005 found that the SPCA shelter in Burnside was "barely adequate in virtually every aspect of shelter management."

"Because of its poor design, it makes it extremely difficult to provide proper upkeep and maintenance," the report said. "It is surprising what is being accomplished in spite of the condition of the facility."

The report concluded that upgrading the facility was "virtually impossible" without gutting the entire building and renovating the inside.

Sandra Flemming, the director of the Burnside shelter, said there have been "tremendous strides" at the facility in the form of renovations and policy changes since the 2005 report.

"I'm fairly confident that the shelter has either met or exceeded all of the deficiencies mentioned in the report," she said.

Flemming said there have been nearly $30,000 worth of renovations done to the facility, with most of the material and labour donated by volunteers.

The changes include:

• A self-contained cat isolation room.
• Two cat adoption rooms with new ventilation for proper disease control.
• Stainless steel counter tops and exam tables in the animal examination room.
• New flooring.
• A $6,000-upgrade to heat sensors and parts of the ventilation system.
• $10,000 worth of laundry equipment acquired with a grant to the shelter.

The dog rooms and kennels are currently being upgraded.

Hendsbee said the SPCA may still put in a bid on the current tender, but there could also be other interested parties.

"I think there's a number of kennel operations and other pet-care facilities out there that may want to look at this as an opportunity," he said. "We may have vacant warehouses anywhere in the Metro area that could possibly be utilized."

The contract is for a maximum of five years. Proposals must be submitted by Dec. 1, and municipal officials want the service to be in place by next April 1.