Our new building…….is the culmination of years of plans and dreams.

Incorporated in 2002, Stand Up For Animals founders, attorney Larry Hirsch, and his wife Kay, Animal Control Officer, Tom Gulluscio and Rep. Peter Lewiss set out on an intrepid path to put an end to animal cruelty and suffering, which has become so commonplace, so underreported, so misunderstood, and so heartbreaking.

Their vision was to build a new animal shelter to replace the aging, over-crowded and under equipped shelter owned by the Town of Westerly. This innovative idea--to work in cooperation with the Town of Westerly, to build the most up-to-date, efficient, animal friendly, and people friendly shelter began to take shape.

Stand Up For Animals would raise the funds to build their own new animal shelter to replace the Town’s aging shelter. The Town of Westerly would step up to the plate and enter into a $1 a year, 99 year lease with Stand Up For Animals on a suitable piece of land. The Town of Westerly, in turn for being able to have an office in Stand Up For Animals’ new building and have access to a portion of the kennels for their impounded animals, would agree to pay all the utilities, including water, sewer, electricity, heating, as well as outside maintenance of lawn care and snow plowing. The Town of Westerly would also pay the salaries to two animal control officers, and two kennel workers. It’s a collaborative plan that could not fail!

Today our building committee is working closely with William Kite Architects, Inc. and Parker Thompson, Inc. to design a building that will meet the needs of our community and enable Stand Up For Animals to carry out the programs that will put an end of animal cruelty and suffering. A critical design element of the new building will be its ability to serve as an emergency shelter during a hurricane or other natural disaster, this component to the building has become crucial to our community in light of the horrific events of the Gulf hurricanes last year.

Building Committee Members

Please check back often to to view progress.