A brand new building will be constructed alongside the existing pound and feature heating and cooling to protect animals from extreme temperatures.

According to plans obtained by The Area News, the new pound will contain 20 dog kennels, four of which will be able to be quarantined, a separate cattery, an office and enclosed parking. An additional three temporary holding pens for dogs were also on the plans.

Deputy mayor Doug Curran said the plans were the fifth or sixth iteration of the facility.

“We’re trying for a best practice facility here,” Councillor Curran said.

“We looked at pounds in neighbouring local government areas to see what they were doing and what we could do with ours.

“This is a building that should serve for about 30 or 40 years.”

Council’s manager of executive service, Shireen Donaldson, said Griffith City Council had also set up a pet adoption Facebook page.

“We’re actively trying to rehome pets,” Ms Donaldson said.

Cr Curran said the commitment to spend more than $500,000 showed how serious council was about the welfare of animals.

“When it was brought to light what the conditions were like at the existing pound we acted as quickly as possible to get this job done,” Cr Curran said.

“At the same time, we still had to go through all of the development processes like any other building.

“The challenge was to have a functional and secure building.”

It is believed animal rescue organisations were involved in the early stages of designing the facility, in order to make sure welfare concerns were addressed.

“We’re going to have air-conditioning for when it’s hot, and the hot water system will be piped through the floor to provide heating when it’s cold,” Cr Curran said.

The existing pound is expected to be used for lost livestock or native animals.