Bloomington shelter upgrade approved, Eden Prairie to benefit

A neighbor’s dog barks day and night. You spot what you think is a coyote in your backyard. A raccoon has fallen into one of your window wells and can’t get out. At a country club, members complain about deer running across the golf course, ruining the greens.

In Eden Prairie, the typical response in these situations is to call the police. If an animal – most often a dog – is not claimed by its owner within a couple of days, the police transfer it to the Bloomington Animal Shelter, which serves Eden Prairie but is located outside the city.

Built in 1962 and a sore point with many area animal lovers, the shelter at 9920 Logan Ave. S. in Bloomington recently received a $100,000 budget allotment from the Bloomington City Council for improvements. The timeline for when the upgrades will start and be completed is yet to be determined.

“There is a long list of what the shelter needs,” said Sarah Sanders, a Bloomington resident who has served as a volunteer in animal rescue for the past 15 years.

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The shelter also serves Bloomington and Richfield.

Sanders notes that the shelter lacks space, has no bathing or shower facilities for animals, uses small cages, and is understaffed. While the new influx of money won’t address all these needs, it’s a start.

Anticipated improvements include a fenced outdoor area for the animals, remodeled reception and food preparation areas, a new front door, improved lighting, and a new supply storage area.

Sgt. Scott Mittelstadt, who heads the animal control unit of the Eden Prairie Police Department, said the department averages “a couple of calls daily” related to animal issues.

These range from a dog with no tags running loose through a neighborhood, to a dog biting someone, to a cougar passing through down at the Minnesota River bottoms – although the latter is relatively rare,” Mittelstadt said.

Middlestedt has been in his current position heading animal control for two and a half years and with the department for 17 years. Before that, he was a Minnesota State Patrol officer.

He has another officer, John Peters, working full time with him and four others who are part-time.

Animals without IDs (mostly dogs) are held for a few hours in the hope that someone will contact the department and claim them. If they are not claimed after that time, they are transferred to the shelter.

When asked if Eden Prairie has plans for building its own animal shelter, Mittelstadt said, “Not that I have heard.”

Eden Prairie pet owners are reminded to have any animals that spend time outdoors wear an ID, or in the case of dogs and cats, have a microchip and be currently vaccinated.