New Kentucky Humane Society campus aims to solve statewide 'animal welfare crisis'

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — A new Kentucky Humane Society campus planned for Louisville aims to be a solution to what’s being called an “animal welfare crisis” in Kentucky.

The new campus is expected to be more than 50,000 square feet and will be located on Orchard Avenue off Preston Highway.

"It's time for us to design a facility that fits our needs for our people but also for the animals and the community," said Kentucky Humane Society President and CEO Alisa Gray.

KHS broke ground on the project at the end of 2025. The expectations are huge, including a 30% increase in space for cats and dogs and more low-cost vet care.

"We'll be increasing spay-neuters in the new facility, along with veterinary care. It helps that people don't have to surrender their pets so that shelters aren't always full," Gray said.

The new facility will include a new drive-thru pet-food pantry people can access as needed and a low-cost clinic that will be open five days a week.

"There's so much that goes into the crisis right now, and we want to do whatever we can from our standpoint by being great at high-volume spay-neuter services and being able to offer low-cost care," Gray said.

The organization needs to raise $37 million for the project. So far, they have around $27 million in the bank. Gray says they're hoping to get it done to increase foot traffic, which could lead to more adoptions.

"It's a guesstimate, but we're pretty confident we can hit 7,000 adoptions a year," Gray said.

The project is expected to be finished by summer 2027.