Ryan Completes New Arizona Humane Society Campus

We are thrilled to announce the completion and opening of the Arizona Humane Society (AHS) Rob and Melani Walton Papago Park Campus in Phoenix, AZ. 

Given our love of pets and our commitment to making a difference in our communities, we were excited for the opportunity to build the 72,000-SF two-story campus at cost. In addition to crediting back all project profits, we were able to help AHS save more than $1 million.

“Pets are near and dear to our hearts, and they positively impact our individual well-being, and our overall public health,” said Chuck Carefoot, our Southwest Region President. “We are thrilled to have completed the Arizona Humane Society’s Rob and Melani Walton Papago Park Campus at a substantial savings to the organization and for the benefit of our entire community.”

The state-of-the-art facility was designed with several elements of wellness in mind for both pets and people. This included providing 90 percent of natural light in animal housing spaces to support circadian rhythms and working with our architecture partner, Animal Arts, to install insulated walls to reduce noise. 20/20 Engineering designed and installed a heavy-duty HVAC for hair and dander purification. Drainage systems were installed throughout the campus, while intentionally sloped kennel floors were hand-poured to increase pets’ comfort and reduce disease. Collaborating with Animal Arts, we procured specialized tile, and wall coating to curb possible animal slipping incidents.

The five-acre campus is also home to one of the largest shelter-based trauma hospitals in the United States. Along with providing quality care for pets, the campus will serve as a teaching hospital for emerging veterinary students from the University of Arizona and Midwestern University. Students can cycle through multiple programs including the trauma hospital, cruelty investigations, and behavior and enrichment. 

This multi-dimensional campus will offer countless resources to pets and community members such as a kitten nursery unit, outdoor patios for cats (cleverly coined “catios”), and – outdoor play yards for dogs. 

Additional resources include:

• Adoption areas with quiet “meet and greet” spaces
• Retail store with gear-fitting areas for dogs
• Critical care center for cats
• Spay and neuter unit
• Coffee shop with walk-up window
• Large spacious welcoming lobby for adopters and visitors

“As the doors of the Rob and Melani Walton Papago Park Campus open to the public, so do the possibilities for the future of animal welfare in Arizona and across the country,” said Dr. Steven Hansen, President & CEO of AHS. “This transformative campus will have an undeniable positive impact on the Valley’s most vulnerable pets and the state’s future veterinarians for decades to come. Our new campus enables us with the physical resources to best serve the pets in our care and delivers a key list of improvements that will benefit pets and people alike.”

The completion of this project highlights our dedication to spending our time and financial resources on behalf of causes and organizations that will allow people and pets to thrive.