Next Thursday, the local nonprofit Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) Cincinnati will open a new adoption center in Over-the-Rhine.
Located at 1312 Main Street, the 1,795-square-foot center will have room for six dogs and ten cats at a time, plus private meet-and-greet rooms.
“This is about making adoption more accessible and creating more opportunities for animals to find homes,” said President and CEO Chris Seelbach in a statement. “Over-the-Rhine gives us the opportunity to bring adoptable animals directly into the heart of the community, where thousands of people live, work and visit every day. Someone may be walking down Main Street, see a dog or cat in the window and meet their new best friend. That’s exactly what we want to happen.”
This opening is part of a larger $3.5 million investment SPCA Cincinnati is making across the organization, including a new medical facility at Sharonville.
Back in June, CityBeat interviewed Seelbach about his plans for the center.
“It’ll be just like, uh, what’s that song, ‘How Much Is That Doggie in the Window,’” Seelbach said. “Animals really bring people joy, and so we’re bringing that possibility to meet your best friend into the heart of our city.”
Seelbach, the former City Councilman and longtime OTR resident, said opening a new location just a few feet from his home was “really exciting.”
“I love Over-the-Rhine. I’ve lived here for 22 years. It’s a huge part of my identity, and there hasn’t been this type of service that I know of, ever, in downtown or Over-the-Rhine. There’s been pretty much everything else, but never an adoption center,” he said. “So, the fact that we’re bringing the ability to adopt a dog or a cat to the urban core for the first time in the history of the entire city… I think people are going to genuinely love it.”
For more information on SPCA Cincinnati, visit the organization’s website.
