Expanded Bishop Animal Shelter opening brings new chapter for animal care in Manatee County

BRADENTON, Fla. - A new chapter in animal care is officially underway in Manatee County with the opening of the expanded Bishop Animal Shelter.

County leaders, staff and animal lovers gathered Wednesday morning for a ribbon cutting at the Bishop campus, marking the completion of a major kennel expansion that officials say will transform how animals are cared for across the county.

"Manatee County is such a compassionate, passionate community about animal welfare," said Sarah Brown, Manatee County’s director of community and veterans services.

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The expansion is part of a $12 million multi-year investment led by Manatee County Animal Welfare to modernize the county’s shelter system. The Bishop location will now serve as the primary hub for animal care, treatment and enrichment.

What we know:

The project adds eight new kennel buildings designed to provide safer and more comfortable housing for dogs. 

Each kennel can be heated or cooled and offers indoor and outdoor access. The initial capacity allows space for about 120 dogs, with room to expand in the future. An additional 52 kennels are located at the facility’s medical center.

"This ribbon cutting is the first step," said Manatee County Commission Chair George Kruse. "These kennels are going to allow us to close our involvement with Palmetto and move the dogs to a safer, cleaner environment."

For decades, the county relied on its shelter in Palmetto, a facility dating back to the 1940s that officials say struggled to meet modern standards.

"[It] is an antiquated building that has been band-aided for far too long to the detriment of our dogs and our volunteers and our staff," Kruse said.

The expanded Bishop campus has more than double the outdoor play and exercise space, with 11 play areas measuring about 2,500 square feet each.

County leaders say socialization and daily activity were key priorities in design.

Meanwhile, the shelter’s existing 24,000 square-foot medical facility remains in place, giving animals immediate access to veterinary care on the same campus.

"Now, we can walk right across the street and into our state-of-the-art veterinary facility," Brown said.

County officials emphasize the goal is not to keep kennels full, but to reduce how long animals stay in the shelter; the new mix of standard and extra-large transitional kennels is designed for short-term housing, with faster medical care and enrichment helping animals move more quickly into homes.

What's next:

Bishop Animal Shelter is a no-kill facility, and leaders hope the upgrades will draw more visitors and adopters, especially during the holidays.

"We just hope that more people come in and adopt so we can keep these kennels empty all day long and get all the animals home for Christmas too," Brown said.

A new administration and adoption building at the Bishop campus is still under construction and is expected to be completed next summer.

The county’s Cat Town location in Bradenton will continue operating as usual.