WARREN, Ohio (WKBN) — A Brookfield animal rescue held an open house on Sunday showcasing its new facility in Warren — but there’s still some work that needs to be done.

Since 2019, Jason Cooke has operated the Healthy Hearts and Paws Project out of his home in Brookfield, rescuing as many dogs and cats as possible.

Last year, he had the chance to buy an empty property in Warren and has since transformed it into the beginnings of a large rescue facility.

So far, the project has cost Cooke around $250,000 — he needs to raise another $300,000 to finish the facility.

“The public support been amazing. We had our open house — our first one was yesterday — so many of the community came out, businesses, local individuals to help support us,” he said.

Cooke still needs to add plumbing and electrical lines and to pour concrete floors.

There’s still a lot of work to go on this 6,400 square foot facility. Cooke said he also wants to add another facility next door that will get the rescue project 10,400 square feet and allow them to rescue even more animals.

“We’ll be able to easily hold over 100 dogs, and we’ll be able to hold around 35 cats, as well,” Cooke said.

The facility will be able to quarantine new rescues and make sure they’re healthy, something Cooke can’t do right now in his small Brookfield facility. It’ll also hold an adoption center.

Cooke’s goal is to help educate people and reduce strays, something he says the county has struggled with in the last few years.

“I’ve never seen it this bad. I was just talking to the dog warden yesterday about how everybody is full, and it just never seems to end,” Cooke said.

The goal is to move into the facility by November.