Best Friends Progressing Toward December Opening of SoHo Animal Adoption Center

SOHO, NY — Best Friends Animal Society has had a presence in New York City for years. But it's not until the end of 2016 that they will have an actual brick-and-mortar location for people to come and adopt cats and dogs.

The largest no-kill sanctuary in the nation will be opening its New York headquarters in SoHo soon. When they announced the coming shelter in August 2015 they weren't ready to say exactly where it would be, but confirmed to Patch on Friday they will be opening at 307 West Broadway, where SoHo Garden deli was previously located.

Construction willing, they hope to be up and running by mid- to late-December according to Eric Rayvid, the organization's director of public relations. But they are beginning their hiring blitz this week.

The organization will be hiring for 11 different positions in advance of the shelter's opening. They are now looking for an administrative coordinator, adoption specialist, kitten nursery caregiver (yes, you can get paid to take care of kittens), major gifts officer, overnight caregiver, pet caregiver, pet caregiver lead, receptionist, part-time veterinarian, veterinary technician and volunteer specialist. You can apply for the positions here.

The facility will have about 20 employees total when it opens. It will be modeled off the No-Kill Los Angeles Adoption Center, which opened in August 2013. Like LA, the SoHo location will be customer-centric, according to Rayvid, and modeled after the center's home base in Kanab, Utah.

Best Friends partners with Animal Care Centers of New York City to pulls animals out of the kill shelter and give them another chance at adoption. Best Friends has been increasing its presence in the city in 2016, partnering with 10 Urban Outfitters in the city earlier this summer for free kitten adoptions.

For now, the organization will continue to have New Yorkers foster cats and dogs and then bring them to events around the city for adoption. The Petsmart in East Harlem hosts cat adoptions every Friday at 5 p.m., the Petsmart at 630 Broadway hosts them every Saturday at 1 p.m., and the Petsmart at 238 Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn hosts them every Sunday at 1 p.m.

Photo Credit: Marshall Boprey, Best Friends Animal Society