A Look At The Animal Rescue Fund Of The Hamptons’ Forever Home

On Saturday, May 27, the Animal Rescue Fund of the Hamptons will dedicate its new and renovated campus as part of a grand re-opening celebration.

ARF first contacted architect Richard Bacon, who specializing in animal care facilities, in 2012. At that time, ARF sought to reconfigure its lobby and catteries to create better spaces for visitors and adopters and to create a training facility for dogs that could be used year-round. The scope of the project continued to expand and evolve.

In 2015, with Bacon, ARF converted the basement of its medical building into an intake facility for rescued animals that could also serve as an emergency evacuation shelter for pets in the community. Soon after, ARF renovated the first floor of its medical building to create a new surgery suite, x-ray room, and isolation rooms specifically for cats. With both projects, ARF upgraded its HVAC systems to reduce risks from air-borne pathogens and make the air healthier overall for animals and people alike.

Finally, in 2020 with the commitment of a transformative gift from Richard Wells McCabe for ARF’s endowment, ARF launched the Forever Home Campaign to raise funds to rebuild ARF’s kennels, renovate its lobby, catteries, puppy rooms, and offices, and build a year-round training center. A year later, they broke ground.

In The Richard Wells McCabe Welcome Center, ARF’s adopters will be greeted in a spacious, redesigned, light-filled lobby. The space features retail, get-acquainted rooms, and new homes for small dogs and puppies. Additionally, ARF’s catteries and kitten room have been completely renovated and include custom built features for climbing, perching, and play. The HVAC systems throughout the entire facility have been custom-designed for the health and comfort of animals and people.

Dogs have a new 7,000 square foot kennel building constructed with high-quality, durable materials, sound-dampening acoustic insulation, a sophisticated HVAC system, and a nitrogen-reducing waste treatment system. At every step in the design process, consideration was taken for the well-being of the dogs and the work of staff to care for them. The building includes 36 individual kennels along with private rooms for dogs with special needs, get-acquainted rooms for adopters, and new outdoor exercise areas.

Thousands of dogs learned basic obedience and much more through ARF’s training classes, and this spring, ARF will inaugurate a new 8,400-square-foot William P. Rayner Training Center for year-round training, socialization, and enrichment for ARF’s dogs. The facility will increase capacity to provide classes for the public and ARF’s adopters in any weather, any time of year.