A Welcome Home for Homeless Pets, PAWS Volunteers, and Adopters
by Patricia Donmoyer | Apr 30, 2007
As this issue of Angel Tales is released, PAWS Chicago is putting the finishes on its new home: the Lincoln Park Adoption Center that promises to transform the concept of “animal shelter”. The days of walking down row after row of small cages with steel bars, echoing barking, bad smells, and sad faces are in the past, as the PAWS Chicago Adoption Center ushers in the new way of sheltering. Here is a sneak preview of the design of the PAWS Adoption Center.
On September 8th, PAWS Chicago will welcome the public to an open house, and animal lovers who walk through the front door will be flooded by natural light from the curtainwall of windows that surrounds the Petco Welcome Center. Large wood trusses scale the Center, thirty feet above, giving the feeling of a farm in the city. Fitting for the location, since in the late 1800’s, the building was first erected as a stable to hold the horses belonging to the workers of the metalworks shop next door. In the center of the lobby is a three-sided fireplace, and further back, on a rear wall of the Counseling Center, is the original barn door recovered from the site before demolition and restored for the new adoption center.
“This Adoption Center will be an inviting place for adopters where families will be counseled around a large fireplace and coffee bar after completing interactive training in the computer gallery,” said Paula Fasseas, founder and chair of PAWS Chicago. “The Center will increase adoptions and adoption retention by offering lifelong counseling and support.”
Flanking the entrance are the pavilions of homeless pets in need of permanent families. Visible from the vestibule is Miss Kitty’s Senior Cat Room, where ramps, perches, and climbing posts are easily accessible to senior felines. Further into the Barbara Bradford Kitty City are kitten rooms for high-energy youngsters, adult rooms, and special kitty condos for cats that prefer humanonly companionship or for litters who arrive at PAWS together. Each room has large windows to allow for lots of natural light, as well as viewing by potential adopters.
In Dog Town, homeless residents will live in large suites with comfortable beds, other canines to comfort their pack instinct, and windows to allow natural light. Dogs will enjoy at least three walks a day, as well as interaction and training with volunteers. In the David E. Klaskin Family Dog Play Space in the middle of Dog Town, dogs will socialize with one another and volunteers, while their suites are being cleaned. The Bill & Maria Smithburg Rooftop Garden will also be a popular destination for dogs and volunteers.
Both cats and dogs reap the benefits of the custom-built 13,000 pound HVAC system that provides 100% fresh air to each room and 15 air exchanges per hour. The system is designed to avoid recirculating air within animal suites, so disease will not spread and pets will stay healthy. However, if a dog or cat does come down with an illness, they will be moved to the Kenneth Sachsel Medical Care Center, just beside Dog Town, for treatment and closer observation.
A sound system brings calming classical music to each homeless pet, which is proven to reduce stress and behavioral deterioration in sheltered animals. Natural light reaches all suites to enable proper circadian rhythm, essential for pets’ healthy sleep patterns and mental wellbeing.
Exhibit rooms close to the Clybourn entrance will feature information on a variety of pet issues, from the pet overpopulation problem to animal cruelty, dog fighting, and puppy mills. The PAWS Chicago Adoption & Humane Center will be a resource for the pet loving community to learn more about how they can get involved in helping animals.
Impact Beyond Design
But the change brought forth in this new, state-ofthe-art shelter is far more significant than bricks and mortar. The architectural concept was created by ARQ Architects, the nation’s leading architectural firm for designing No Kill shelters. Holabird & Root, the architect of record, can be credited with the detail, design and all construction documents. Though no shelter compares to a home when considering quality of life for cats and dogs, this new age of sheltering attempts to mimic as much of the home environment as possible.
Utilizing the scientific studies of such nationally renowned animal behaviorists as Dr. Emily Weiss, Dr. Ian Dunbar, and Pamela Bennet Smith, PAWS has focused on creating design and developing operations to decrease stress, increase positive stimulation and emotional stability, and improve visitor interactions with homeless pets. The large community room and the Smithburg Rooftop Deck will both serve as areas for volunteers to exercise and train dogs, while volunteers will socialize, groom, and play with cats and kittens daily. Special toys and treats, as well as lots of TLC from volunteers, will provide mental stimulation and distraction from the shelter environment.
Bringing homeless animals to Lincoln Park, one of the most vibrant retail and residential neighborhoods in Chicago, and integrating them into the community will generate more adoptions, more volunteers, more education, and more support. Child and youth education will help develop the next generation of animal welfare leaders, teaching compassion, empathy, and the value of service.
You Can be Part of this Dream for Chicago’s Homeless Pets!
If you would like to help in the transformation of animal sheltering in Chicago, consider making a donation to the PAWS Chicago Adoption & Humane Center campaign. Pledges to the new Center are payable over five years. All donors who have given $100 or more will be recognized in the Center. A large plaque in the lobby will recognize all donors who contribute $5,000 or more to the campaign. Room namings are still available.
Contact Deborah Chapman at (773) 843-2508.