The Denton Animal Shelter Foundation has been quietly soliciting donations for some time now to help finance a new animal shelter for the city. Now it’s time for the rest of us to pitch in.

The foundation hopes to raise $3.2 million to help pay for a new and bigger animal shelter that’s now being estimated to cost between $5 million and $6 million. The city will pay for the remainder of the cost.

The new shelter would replace the aging, undersized shelter on Woodrow Lane, and not a minute too soon. Denton’s animal control officers do yeoman service given their number and the facilities they have to work with, but it’s been clear for several years that the old Woodrow Lane shelter has become inadequate for a growing city.

The new 22,242-square-foot shelter would be on a 6-acre tract abutting North Lakes Park. It would hold considerably more animals than the current shelter and would have more space for adoption and grooming facilities.

It would take a pretty hard-hearted person to be unmoved by the plight of stray animals in Denton, a plight that grows more serious each day as the city grows larger and more stray and feral animals face lives that are brutish and short. For those who can’t bring themselves to the realization that our humanity can be measured to a large degree by how we treat animals, we would recommend that they view the new shelter as a health and sanitation project. An unchecked animal population brings real and serious health problems to a city; an adequate animal control department can stem the tide of unwanted animal births and help stem the spread of diseases that threaten the human as well as animal populations.

There is some question at this time as to when construction on the new shelter would start. The foundation has hopes that construction might begin in 2011, but the terrible economy has pushed back the city’s plans to call a bond election for its portion of the cost.

One thing is certain: The sooner construction can begin, the better. A speedy construction schedule would obviously get the new facility up and running faster, but it would also take advantage of currently low construction costs.

At any rate, the $3.2 million that the foundation hopes to raise needs to be in the bank as soon as possible so it will be ready when the city is.

The foundation will be telling us more about its fundraising efforts shortly. For now, there are still opportunities to give to the campaign by participating in the foundation’s “Paws for Refreshment” campaign, in which public-spirited local restaurants donate a part of their evening proceeds to the shelter campaign. Sweetwater Grill and Tavern, just off the Square at 115 S. Elm St., will be the place to go this Thursday for dinner if you want to help the effort; Fuzzy’s Taco Shop at 115 Industrial St. will be doing its bit on the evening of Nov. 12.

So chow down at those two places on the designated nights, and be on the alert for more news about how you can help this good town obtain a new animal shelter.