Manteca leaders are working toward a plan to roughly double the size of the city’s animal shelter.

The expansion of the 6,000 square-foot facility built in 2011 at the corner of South Main Street and Wetmore Street was listed as a project that could benefit from the passage of the three-quarter cent, temporary 20-year Measure Q sales tax.

Mayor Gary Singh said the city, as promised during the tax election, is pursuing ways to secure other funding to wed to the sales tax for an expansion.

The city is working with Congressman Josh Harder to try and secure $1 million in federal funding.

Singh also said now that the animal shelter has non-profit status, there is a possibility of securing private sector grants to help with the expansion.

The city working with organizations such as the Better World Rescue — a Tracy-based non-profit — as well as  various individuals secured non-kill status for the shelter in 2022.

Manteca has also helped make more dogs adoptable via its Dogs Day Out program. 

It allows anyone over the age of 18 to come to the shelter, pick a dog, and take them out for a short or extended period of time. The program can be accessed Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

It was started to reduce kennel stress. This also allows staff to gain feedback to share with potential adopters in a new environment.  

The current operation of the shelter augmented with a solid contingent of volunteers is a complete 180 from where the City was at 15 years ago when it came to animal services.

The city established a “temporary shelter” in 1966 at what is now the solid waste division office on Wetmore Street.

The facility, that had extremely limited kennel space, opened when Manteca had 10,000 residents. By the time it was replaced in 2011, Manteca had surpassed 68,000 residents.

Today, the city has 93,000 residents.

The dog and cat population has grown accordingly.

Singh said the City Council doesn’t want a repeat of the 1966 to 2010 era when the shelter was extremely inadequate for city needs.

There is land adjacent to the shelter where it can expand.

The shelter now has 26 kennels capable of housing up to 52 dogs as well as a separate cat area.

Singh hopes the expansion will also include a room for a veterinarian to work in.

The $2.1 million shelter built in 2011 was funded with growth fees.

They could also be used for an expansion project.

Animal services is overseen by the Manteca Police Department.

The animal shelter’s mission includes:

*Transporting stray animals that were injured to emergency vets.

*Answering calls concerning suspected abuse or cruelty to animals.

*Responding to livestock issues within the City limits.

*Helping citizens resolve nuisance problems, such as dogs barking excessively

*Investigating dog and cat bite complaints.

*Picking up stray animals.

*Assisting other agencies such as surrounding county agencies, rescue agencies, the Manteca Police Department, the Manteca Fire Department, and the California Highway Patrol.

*Educating pet owners on the importance of spaying or neutering their dogs and cats.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com