Spokane-based Paw Print Genetics, a canine genetic testing company, is considering building a new 12,000-square-foot laboratory and an administrative facility on North Nevada Street.

Separately, the company also plans to add testing services for cats and birds.

Regarding the envisioned new building, Lisa Shaffer, Paw Print Genetics founder and CEO, says the company is “in the discovery phase and unsure if we will acquire that property.”

Based on comments from the city, the company still is evaluating its options and hasn’t committed to construction plans.

Preliminary plans filed with the city show two 9,000-square-foot buildings, one with an additional 3,000-square-foot mezzanine, are envisioned at the intersection of Nevada Street and Sitka Avenue, on Spokane’s North side, near Cedar Springs Estates and the Windermere Car Wash Plaza, at 6804 N. Nevada. 

The estimated project value is $3 million.

Paw Print Genetics currently occupies about 7,000 square feet in the Franklin Park Medical Center, at 220 E. Rowan, and a new facility would more than double the amount of space it would occupy, if it moved forward with that plan.

The site is on 1.6 acres of undeveloped land currently owned by Spokane Public Library, which purchased the property for nearly $272,000 in 1998, according to the Spokane County Assessors records.

Plans also show a security fence would surround the proposed buildings, with gate access on the north and south sides of the structures.

Other site improvements include landscaping, with the planting of trees along Nevada Street in front of the buildings, and 66 proposed parking stalls.

Spokane-based Uptic Studios is listed as the architect. A representative of Uptic couldn’t be reached immediately for comment.

As plans are preliminary, no time line is listed for the project, and no contractor has been selected.

Paw Print Genetics also plans to expand offerings beyond canines this year, according to information posted on its website, with the planned launch of CatScan, a genetic screen for felines designed to screen for more than 70 different diseases and traits, and AvianDx, an EarlyBird sex identification test for monomorphic birds, which is expected to launch this spring.

Monomorphic species are those in which the male and female look the same, and a test is required to know whether a creature is a female or male. Such a test is important for breeders who need to know a birds’ sexes in order to pair them for reproduction.

In 2018, Paw Print Genetics launched several new tests for canines, including the cobalamin malabsorption test for the Australian shepherd and related breeds, which tests for an inherited disease that causes the canines to be unable to make adequate amounts of a key protein involved in the absorption of several nutrients in the intestinal tract and kidneys. That condition can lead to anorexia, lethargy, and, in rare circumstances, a severe neurological dysfunction. 

Paw Print Genetics offers more than 100 tests for various genetic diseases. Tests range in price from $25 to $80.

It continues to research and develop tests for canines, and two of its research papers were published last year.

Paw Print Genetics was established in 2012 and is a trademark of Genetic Veterinary Sciences Inc.