Denton’s four-legged residents are about to get some serious new digs. The city is set to break ground on April 29 on a $14.5 million expansion of the Linda McNatt Animal Care & Adoption Center, a project designed to ease chronic crowding as animal intake keeps climbing. The work will tack on about 9,761 square feet to the existing 18,205-square-foot facility and will enlarge adoption and stray-holding areas, upgrade veterinary and isolation spaces, and swap out the shelter’s aging heating and cooling systems.
What the expansion will add
According to Community Impact, the project calls for expanded dog adoption and stray-holding areas that come with new indoor and outdoor runs and visitation rooms, so potential adopters have more space to meet their future pets. Plans also include new isolation and quarantine spaces, relocated veterinary services with a larger surgery suite and recovery area, and updated animal housing that features bigger kennels. A filing with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation lists the added footprint at 9,761 square feet.
Why Denton is expanding
The city is not building bigger just for bragging rights. Per the City of Denton, animal intake at the shelter is projected to grow about 38% by 2030. That steady rise has already left parts of the facility frequently at capacity and has, at times, created waiting lists for animals needing a spot. Voters signed off on paying for the expansion as part of Proposition D in Denton’s 2023 bond package, which passed in November 2023.
Timeline and budget
The expansion is budgeted at $14.5 million, and a filing with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation lists a construction end date in late October 2027. Kayla Herrod, the city’s deputy director of marketing and communications, told Community Impact that more details about the April groundbreaking are expected in the weeks ahead.
How residents can help
Local partners plan to keep pitching in while the bulldozers roll. The Denton Animal Support Foundation, which helped fund the original Linda McNatt facility and now runs emergency medical and pet-food programs, says it will continue backing shelter needs throughout construction.
The shelter will stay open for adoptions and services during the build, so residents do not have to wait to bring home a new companion. The City of Denton lists adoption hours, fees, and an urgent-placement list for animals that need homes sooner rather than later.
