Little Giant’s Rockin’ Dog Town will hold its grand opening on Jul. 10.
Located at 3250 Creekford Road, Little Giant’s is a nonprofit dog shelter created by Chris Kozanitis. Kozanitis founded the shelter in 2019 after his chihuahua, Giant, passed away in 2017.
“When [Giant] passed away, it kind of sparked [Chris’s] realization that he wanted to help dogs that needed help,” Danika Farand-Taylor, manager of operations and social media director at Little Giant’s, said in an interview with The Journal.
“He wanted to give the life he provided for [Giant] to other dogs that needed it.”
The shelter initially planned on accepting surrendered dogs within Kingston, but soon decided to accept dogs far beyond the city. Farand-Taylor said Little Giant’s will be taking in stray dogs from Canada’s northern territories.
“We’re not going to limit ourselves. A dog in need is a dog in need.”
Little Giant’s is currently seeking volunteers to help with the operations of the dog shelter, Farand-Taylor added.
“We’re accepting students and anyone in the community who’s a dog-lover and who likes being around dogs. If you have those qualities, then you have the foundation of being an equipped volunteer.”
Farand-Taylor said she’s hopeful the shelter’s operations will be able to run smoothly come July. The shelter will respect Ontario’s COVID-19 protocols and prioritize the safety of their volunteers.
“Maybe we won’t be able to take as many volunteers in person yet, but there are lots of different virtual opportunities, such as encouraging donations and running online fundraising. If people want to volunteer, there is always going to be something we can give them.”
Still under construction, the shelter is located on a facility that spans 5000 square feet, sitting atop 40 acres of land. Farand-Taylor said the open space allows dogs to have enough room to roam around.
“We want to be different in the sense that we’re not going to trap our dogs in kennels all day long,” Farand-Taylor said. “They’re going to have the freedom to express themselves and run around, and there are trails behind our facility as well.”
Little Giant’s is welcoming monetary and in-kind donations at this time, including pet supplies.
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