In spring 2004, 500 stray dogs, cats and other pets in and around DeKalb County may have a new home.

On Aug. 30, Taking Animals into Loving Shelter, or TAILS, was donated three acres of land to build an animal shelter near the corner of Peace and Barber Green roads behind Wal-Mart. Nancy Drake Castle, friend of the Oaken Acres Wildlife Center in Sycamore and animal welfare advocate, donated the land.

“This is a wonderful location with easy access to the population center of this area,” said George Balster, vice president of TAILS.

Balster and Kathy Stelford, TAILS president, both agree that the most important aspect is to provide a place for stray and abandoned animals.

“We hope to raise a million dollars to build the facility as early as next spring,” said Beth Drake, a member of TAILS.

The facility will be between 8,000 and 10,000 square feet. Architects currently are being interviewed for the design and construction phase.

The facility will be suited for 60 to 80 dogs and 80 to 100 cats, and other animals like ferrets, hampsters and reptiles.

The shelter will feature an education center, nursery, adoption suites and emergency holding stalls for farm animals.

There also will be programs encouraging residents to spay or neuter their pets.

“We will be interviewing for potential volunteers and assistants to help out once the facility is built,” Drake said. “We will also have two licensed humane investigators to check out reports of animal abuse.”

The facility is teaming up with domestic violence organization Safe Passage so that abuse victims have a place to keep their pets until they get back on their feet.

TAILS also hopes to have an alliance with the DeKalb County Hospice so that terminally ill pet owners have somewhere for their animals to go when they die.

“Keep in mind this facility is for stray animals and certain special situations,” Drake said. “It won’t be like a pet hotel for college students to bring their animals to school and be able to visit them. If you bring your animal here, you’d be giving them up for adoption.”

Stelford and Sharon Farley of Sycamore started TAILS Humane Society in 1999 to alleviate the high number of animals without homes.