South Bend opens new animal shelter

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- South Bend Animal Care and Control has opened its new shelter.

ABC 57 News got a behind-the-scenes look at the new facility.

The cages are bigger and there is a lot more room for dogs, cats and any other creature that comes there way.

The new building is off of Eclipse Place by the Kennedy Splash Pad, and now, it's officially open to the public.

Managers said this has been years in the making.

"We're really excited about the new facility," Gary Libbey, manager of South Bend Animal Care and Control, said. "We've been at the old facility since 1996. It was a 100-year-old fire station that was rehabilitated to become the animal shelter, so it was far too small and never designed to be an animal shelter."

The center said it still has some bugs to work out but it will eventually hold a ribbon cutting ceremony.