Regional Shelter Advocacy

In December 2025, Manatee County opened eight prefabricated kennel trailers at the Bishop Animal Shelter property. The project added new kennels—but volunteers say the design created significant problems almost immediately.

According to Manatee Shelter Watch, the trailers were placed too close together, creating tight pathways and unsafe blind corners. The kennels were positioned far from the exercise yards, making it more difficult and time-consuming for staff and volunteers to take dogs outside.

The largely outdoor facility also provided inadequate protection from Florida's heat, rain and severe weather. Volunteers documented concerns involving extreme temperatures, drainage, sanitation, noise, uneven ground, narrow hallways, difficult gates and the absence of nearby laundry, bathing and hot-water facilities.

The group also reports that volunteers lost access to kennel areas because of safety concerns and that some stopped volunteering. Although the trailers were designed to contain approximately 120 kennels, Manatee Shelter Watch says operational difficulties caused usable capacity to be reduced to roughly 50 dogs.