Supporters, friends and fans of Branford’s Daniel P. Cosgrove Animal Shelter are invited to help celebrate 20 years of compassionate care and service, when the shelter throws a birthday party at Stony Creek Brewery on Wednesday, Oct. 11 from 6 to 9 p.m.

Tickets, at $60, include dinner buffet, dessert, and drink specials. Seating is limited to the first 150 tickets purchased in advance at branford-ct.gov/departments/animal-shelter/events. No tickets will be sold at the door. Stony Creek Brewery is located at 5 Indian Neck Avenue in Branford.

The celebration will mark 20 years for this extraordinary municipal shelter that’s rallied the community and raised the bar on “state of the animal” care, said Shelter Director Laura Burban, who has led the shelter since 2008.

“Twenty years ago, local volunteers and then-First Selectman Unk DaRos joined together to create the Dan Cosgrove Animal Shelter. At the time, it was a unique idea—a municipal animal shelter devoted to both public safety and to pet adoptions, with regional reach and support,” said Burban.

Through the years, the shelter’s reputation has grown as a result of developing programs such as veterinarian partnerships for critical medical care and physical therapy, full-range adoption services, comprehensive and education-focused animal control, animal-centric children’s enrichment programs, outreach and awareness, and volunteer-driven fundraising efforts, including those to support extreme cases of animals in dire need of medical interventions.

“Today, we have grown beyond what anyone might have imagined two decades ago,” said Burban.

Burban noted that each year, 500 to 1,000 animals come to the shelter, where they are cared for and adopted to loving families from across the shoreline and state. More than 15,000 people visit the shelter each year—five times more than most other municipal shelters.

“We are dedicated to saving the lives of neglected animals from dire circumstances. They often require surgery, medical care, and/or physical therapy. We provide extraordinary care thanks to generous contributions from donors and strong partnerships with local veterinarians,” said Burban.

The shelter’s adoption and rehabilitation services are geared to make lives better for animals and the people who love them, Burban added.

The shelter’s extensive animal control services include rescue, animal cruelty investigation and prosecution, public safety seminars, free rabies clinics, and programs such as a free pet food bank to assist the public during times of need.

The shelter also runs a children’s summer animal camp, offers enrichment programs for children (such as “Reading to the Animals”), and provides programming for both children and adults with special needs to encourage early and valuable bonding with animals, said Burban.

Another highlight for the shelter has been its recent renovation and expansion. With its goal to be the nation’s first net-zero municipal animal control shelter, as well as its unique, multi-wing design, the new, state-of-the-art facility is a model for other municipalities to follow, said Burban. In addition to spaces dedicated to sheltering animals, the building’s wings provide an area for a wellness center and area for an adoption center.

“To mark our 20th anniversary, we opened our new Dan Cosgrove Animal Shelter with our adoption and wellness centers, thanks to the First Selectman Jamie Cosgrove and all of the town bodies and donors from not only Branford, but across the U.S. and world who supported our vision,” said Burban, who also thanked the members of the Daniel P. Cosgrove Animal Shelter Commission, shelter staff, and its dedicated volunteer base.

Supporters of the CosgroveSavingLives capital campaign helped the shelter to raise approximately $1.8 million to help offset the $4.895 million shelter expansion and renovation project cost funded by the Town of Branford.

On May 8, Burban helped Cosgrove, commission members, staff, and other supporters to cut the ribbon that celebrated the grand opening of the new shelter, located at 749 East Main Street.

“We are so excited to see all of the amazing things we do in the next 20 years!” said Burban.