Nate's Honor expansion will be wrapped up in spring

Rob and Dari Oglesby came across Nate’s Honor Animal Rescue Center almost by accident.

The couple’s then-10-year-old daughter, Michaela Oglesby, was taking a photography class at Ringling College of Art & Design and Dari arranged for her to come by and take some photos of the dogs at what was then called Honor Animal Sanctuary.

Twelve years later, Dari (executive director) and Rob (development director) are reaching the finish line of what’s become a $16.5 million expansion. 

The project, called "Journey Home Capital Campaign," officially started with a groundbreaking in December of 2019, but unexpected delays, like the COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing supply-chain issues, have pushed back the projected completion date.

Those delays will soon be in the past, however, as the facility is expected to be finished with construction by the spring of 2025. 

“Basically, the delays happened because we wanted perfection and we wanted to make sure we didn’t rush anything,” Rob Oglesby said.

There are several additions to the 8-acre property at 4951 Loraine Road in Bradenton, many of which are themed around making Nate’s Honor Animal Rescue Center a welcoming place.

Five years in the making

The Oglesbys took painstaking efforts to ensure the Journey Home Capital Campaign was done right.

That meant traveling to rescue centers from California to the East Coast and asking each what the biggest mistakes were in constructing their centers so they wouldn’t make the same ones.

Then came the work. 

First, the ground was raised two feet to combat flooding problems the facility had encountered in the past. Then, the dog pool, walking trail and play yards were added.

A 5,000-square-foot Intake Center and a 4,300-square-foot Behavior and Training Center were finished next. Those were essential first steps to speed up the adoption process and train more volunteers in anticipation of the full expansion. 

Now, the 23,000 square-foot Welcome and Adoption Center is nearing completion. 

The walls are up, flooring has been installed in parts of the building, and doors have been added, but there is still some construction left to be done.

Flooring must be finished, lighting and cabinets need to be added, signage and decoration will need to be put up, and finally, furniture will be delivered. 

When finished, the Welcome and Adoption Center will have a lobby, an interactive kids’ education room and a veterinary clinic open to the public.

The vet clinic will house exam rooms, a dental suite, a maternity ward and a parvo isolation ward to stop the spread of canine parvovirus — a potentially lethal virus that is highly contagious.

“This saves money and it saves lives,” Rob Oglesby said of the vet clinic. “It’s all about holding and cuddling.”

There are apartments upstairs of the Welcome and Adoption Center so that people can live on site to let the dogs in and out at night, and veterinary externs can stay for two-week intervals to learn about treatment and care.

There’s also an event room that is intended to serve a multi-purpose use, from anything to dinner parties to webinars in an effort to draw more people to Nate’s Honor.

'If you build it, they will come'

The old catchphrase, ‘If you build it, they will come,’ from Field of Dreams is often overused, but it couldn’t be more fitting for what Nate’s Honor is trying to accomplish. 

The Oglesbys stumbled upon Nate’s Honor without having the intention of adopting a dog, but have never left.

Rob said he’s hoping that others will soon have a story similar to his. 

By making Nate’s into a multi-purpose location, the organization is hoping to expand its reach and introduce people to animals who might have never come in the first place.

That means the facility can host kids’ birthday parties, summer camp groups, or people can simply stop in for coffee or a bite to eat.

“I think what people think of when they think of an animal rescue center is just dogs and cats, but what Rob and Dari have done with this space serves the community as a whole,” development manager Megan Baxter said. 

The inclusion of community space is key to the expansion of Nate’s Honor, but the main focus is on increasing the amount of dogs and cats that can be saved from being euthanized.

'Every kennel saves three animals'

Dogs and cats at Nate’s Honor typically don’t stay for long.

There is a relatively high turnover rate at Nate’s, with about 1,500 to 2,000 animals being adopted each year. That’s expected to go up to 3,500 to 4,000 per year when the expansion is complete, Rob Oglesby said. 

That’s going to be made possible thanks to the new Intake Center, 10 new dog cottages and a "kitty city" center — doubling the amount of dogs and cats the facility can keep on site.

“There are dogs and cats being euthanized every day,” Rob Oglesby said. “So the more space we have, the more we can save. Every kennel saves three animals."

The animals who stay at Nate’s Honor live a resort-like lifestyle.

The dog cottages house four to six dogs in a 12x17-foot space and provide access to a caged-in outdoor area along with solar-powered fans and insulation to prevent overheating. 

Volunteers take the dogs for walks, take them to a dog playground and let them splash around in a bone-shaped dog pool. 

People who are thinking of adopting have the chance to bring their pets to a meet-and-greet pavilion to see how their current pet interacts with one they’re hoping to add to their family.