10/23/2026
🐾 Eighteen months in the making—and years in the dreaming!
We are so excited to share that our new kennel building has arrived at Tillamook K9 Rescue! This project will give incoming dogs a quieter place to settle in and our hardworking staff the space they need to prepare meals, do laundry, and organize supplies.
To appreciate what this means, we need to take you back a little.
Our main kennel building began life as a WWII officer’s jeep garage. In 2015, inmates from the Tillamook County Justice Center across the way, supervised and instructed by then-Deputy Dave Jungling, transformed it into our eight-kennel shelter. They installed floor drains, concrete kennel dividers, guillotine doors, and heavy-gauge wire doors, along with a utility sink, on-demand hot water heater, and a mini-split for heat. Tillamook County funded the conversion, and a board was formed to oversee operations.
That work gave us the foundation to begin helping dogs—and we remain grateful to everyone who made it possible.
A contractor working on Port property also donated a large shipping container, or Conex, that had served as a project office. We moved it to our site, and it became our storage space for food, blankets, towels, leashes, collars, toys, medications, and a small freezer.
Over the years, we have made the most of every inch!
Our meal-preparation “counter” is a small piece of plywood laid across the two metal cans that hold our opened dry dog food. Staff line up bowls there—or along the edge of the utility sink—prepare meals, and wash everything in that same small sink. Supplies are carried over from the Conex as needed.
It has worked because our staff makes it work, every single day. But we have long wanted to give them a better setup.
Since around 2021, board discussions have returned to two needs: a separate, safe space for incoming dogs and a dedicated area for food preparation and cleanup. As demand has grown, those needs have become even more pressing. At one point this October, we had nine dogs in our eight-kennel facility, with one temporarily housed in our wash shed.
Now, thanks to a very generous and unexpected grant from the Loren E Parks Trust, Jerry Dove, Trustee, those years of discussion have become something we can walk through the door of. ❤️
Built by Horizon Structures in Atglen, Pennsylvania, our new building includes three isolation kennels. Law enforcement will be able to bring newly arriving dogs directly into this separate space, allowing them to settle in away from the barking, excitement, and activity of the main kennel building.
For a frightened or overwhelmed dog, a quieter welcome can make a world of difference.
The building also includes a 16-by-14-foot lobby that will house a central food-preparation table, a worktable along one wall, heavy-duty supply shelving, a washer and dryer, a large double sink with a drainboard, a standard-sized hot water heater, our small freezer, and a small desk.
A real place to prepare meals. Room to wash dishes and do laundry. Supplies close at hand. And three additional kennels to help us care for dogs arriving in uncertain circumstances.
There is still work ahead to get everything set up, but seeing this building here is an incredible milestone.
To Jerry Dove and the Loren E Parks Trust: thank you for making this possible. Your generosity will make a lasting difference for the dogs who come through our doors and the people who care for them.
❤️ A big thank-you to Paul and Barbara from Manzanita, who so generously purchased the double sink and faucet for our new building! Having a dedicated space to wash dishes and clean up will make daily chores so much easier for our staff.
We are also grateful to Nicole Dixon from Manzanita, whose generous donation more than covers the cost of our heavy-duty shelving! Having supplies organized and close at hand will be a wonderful improvement.
Thank you for helping us turn our new building into a hardworking space that supports the care of every dog who comes through our doors. Your kindness is helping this long-awaited project come together! 🐾 Want to help us put the finishing touches on our new space?
We still have a few items on our wish list:
• A Speed Queen Classic washer and dryer set to keep those blankets and towels fresh and clean.
• Two office chairs.
• An air fryer—yes, even a dog shelter has an air fryer on its wish list! 😊
• Contributions toward our mini-split heat pump, which is already on order.
We would also like to hire a contractor to build a covered breezeway between the two buildings, install the new sink in a cabinet, build a workbench and shelving along one wall, and complete a few other finishing projects.
If you would like to donate an item, contribute toward these costs, or discuss the contractor work, please send us a message. Every contribution helps turn this new building into a welcoming, practical space for our dogs and the people who care for them.
❤️🐾🐾
