'Our animals deserve nothing less': NH SPCA in Stratham unveils $6 million expansion. Here's how it looks.

STRATHAM — Lisa Dennison, executive director of the New Hampshire SPCA, remembers when a line of cars with pet owners had to wait to take advantage of the animal shelter’s rabies clinics at its small facility.

Now the SPCA has unveiled a $6 million expansion and renovation of its Stratham campus, including a full veterinary clinic offering low-cost veterinary services, such as spay and neuter procedures, vaccinations and dental work. The services and facilities are greatly expanded from the old days.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony planned for Saturday was set to coincide with the 149th anniversary of the SPCA’s founding. With some remaining work still to be completed, such as the delivery of some new cages that were delayed due to supply chain issues, Dennison is looking ahead to have the facility running on all cylinders before next year’s 150th anniversary.

“We are so excited to unveil our new space,” Dennison said. “This was an ambitious project, especially for construction to move forward in the midst of a pandemic. We have taken proactive steps to continue to be ahead of the curve and lead the way in advancing the highest standards of animal welfare in New Hampshire. Our community and our animals deserve nothing less.”

What's new at the New Hampshire SPCA in Stratham

New features include a new equine center and horse barn, a new community meeting space, an aviary, a new HVAC system, a fire sprinkler system in the cat and dog kennels and more holding areas for cats and dogs transported to the shelter. Visitors to the shelter will see the “catio” in front with windows looking out to the main parking lot for the cats to enjoy a view and the sunshine.

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Dennison said the expansion is the culmination of eight years of strategic planning, the creation of an endowment and property acquisition from abutters at 102 and 108 Portsmouth Ave., which expanded the SPCA’s campus from six to 15 acres.

“The property owners had been in their homes for at least 30 years,” Dennison said. “Those properties were a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

There is now a paved ring trail around the campus, a children’s garden and multiple rain gardens with 8,000 plants planted by volunteers and new walking trails through the woods for dogs.

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“The walk is much more enjoyable for the dogs and our volunteers,” Dennison said. “They used to only walk them around the parking lot, and the pavement gets hot and it gets crowded.”

Beyond the expanded existing building, the expansion includes an eight-stall horse barn and full equine training center for staff to better learn how well a horse is trained and for potential adopters to get a chance to ride the horse in a safe environment.

There are also new pens for other farm animals, such as goats and pigs that are located next to where the previous horse pen was across from the main entrance.

“We wanted to be able to offer the same level of care to our large animals that we do for the smaller, household animals,” Dennison said. “This area is away from the cars and dogs barking, so it’s much better for the horses.”

SPCA carries on mission during construction

Throughout the year-long construction project, Dennison said the SPCA has been caring for roughly 80 cats and other small animals with a number of volunteers fostering cats. She said the number of dogs in the shelter has been slightly reduced because of the construction in the kennel portion.

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“It’s miraculous we’re where we are today and there’s no way we get there without the staff, volunteers and the work of our contractors,” Dennison said. "I'm so grateful for their efforts."

Dennison said the new community meeting space is more geared for adults, teenagers and college students for various programs. Previously the only classroom space was in the education room, which hosts the shelter’s summer camp for younger kids. Overall, she said, the expansion will improve the SPCA’s level of care for both the animals and the people in the community who will adopt them.

“This project was done absolutely to benefit the animals we care for,” Dennison said. “But the project was also about the people we work with every day – the volunteers, people in the community who want to adopt animals and now we have more space for people to adopt, meet and learn about the animals and volunteering.”

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: NH SPCA in Stratham $6 million renovation. clinic, horse barn, catio