Capital fund helps animal shelters upgrade facilities

Animal shelters are getting a cash infusion from the state that could impact humane societies in the Hudson Valley.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo is allocating $5 million of capital funds in the 2017-18 state budget to shelters around New York. The Companion Animal Capital Fund is the first in the nation.
Shannon Laukhuf is the executive director of the SPCA of Westchester County, located in Briarcliff Manor. She says last year, the shelter cared for more than 1,500 animals inside the worn-out facility.
The capital fund will go toward repairing the aging infrastructure and providing more room for animals.
The SPCA of Westchester plans to launch its capital campaign within a year or two.