Animal shelter relocating with the help of volunteers

About 50 volunteers spent their Saturday helping set up cages, installing fencing or moving animals into the new home of a no-kill animal shelter in Kapolei.

The Oahu Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which has been at 91-1839 Roosevelt Ave. for two years, plans to continue moving today and needs volunteers to help set up its new home. Aloha Petroleum Corp. provided the 14,000-square-foot space at 91-153 Hanua St. to the nonprofit for a two-year, rent-free lease.

"We need volunteers for the new construction, caring for the animals and donations for moving expenses," said Oahu SPCA co-founder Stephanie Ryan. "We’re going to be remodeling in the next couple weeks."

About 70 dogs were moved Saturday, and 150 cats were expected to be moved today.

Over the next few weeks, the organization needs volunteers who can install fencing, paint and help with landscaping. Volunteers are also needed to clean, feed and care for the animals.

Ryan said the new location will allow the shelter to house more animals. Although the site is smaller indoors, it has an outdoor space four times larger — at 20,000 square feet — that will be fenced in and connected to the warehouse through a dog door, allowing the animals to move indoors and outdoors freely.

The new site is not expected to open until Oct. 1, unless the fence is completed sooner.

Ryan said the shelter, which adopts out about 100 animals a month, focuses on rescuing, rehabilitating and placing animals into homes. It also serves as the state’s primary foster organization for pets of homeless people while they are staying at emergency or transitional shelters that don’t allow animals, she said.

Cyn Okido, the group’s volunteer coordinator, said more volunteers are needed this weekend for the major move, which involves transporting office equipment, pet food and other supplies.

"This move is very stressful for the animals," she said. "We’re trying to keep everything calm."

To volunteer today, call 754-1519 or stop by the shelter from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.