Something warm and fuzzy is coming to the heart of Sugar House. On June 8th, Best Friends Animal Society – Utah will host a block party to celebrate the grand opening of their new Salt Lake Adoption Center at 2005 S. 1100 East, in the former Smith-Crown Vacuum Co. building.

Corinne Piazza, Utah Programs Marketing Manager for Best Friends, loves the idea of opening an adoption center in Sugar House. The center will bring animals to a neighborhood that is well-known for its compassionate and caring citizens, who she believes will support Best Friends’ life-saving work.

Last year, No More Homeless Pets in Utah became Best Friends Animal Society – Utah, and they continue to provide the same essential services. Best Friends focuses on promoting adoptions; educating people about the importance of spaying and neutering their pets; and offering access to low-cost spay/neuter services. They also partner with municipal shelters and rescue groups in Salt Lake County to find permanent homes for animals that need them.

Thanks to the dedicated efforts of such partners, Salt Lake County Animal Services is now committed to being a no-kill shelter, as is West Valley Animal Services, Piazza said.

The new facility will be a regional center for Best Friends Animal Society, which operates a nationally-renowned no-kill animal sanctuary in Kanab, Utah. The Sugar House center will have runs with space for twenty dogs, and “cat cafes” to accommodate an equal number of cats.

“We will have 29 staff people in our office who will run our Spay/Neuter program, adoptions, volunteer & membership efforts, marketing & community outreach, and administration operations,” said Piazza. They will organize all Best Friends events, including the annual Super Adoption Events, Strut Your Mutt fundraiser; Big Fix Adoption Mobile; and the Community Cats Program, which partners with volunteers to manage a Trap/Neuter/Return (TNR) approach to controlling the feral cat population.

NOTE: The opening has been changed to July 13th.