Home Sweet Home
Oct 31, 2007
Welcome to the PAWS Chicago Adoption & Humane Center, which opened this past September after four years of extensive planning and fundraising. Architect Jeff Case and his team at Holabird & Root designed a masterpiece, and interior designer Steve Kadlec of Kadlec Designs pulled together all the right finishing touches. Both design teams captured the heart of PAWS in the building that will unite thousands of homeless pets and their new families each year. Walking through the door, visitors are fl ooded with warmth of natural light, an expansive thirty-foot high ceiling spanned by wood trusses, and accents of eco-friendly wheat board and stainless steel and glass. Natural farm meets contemporary chic in this home for homeless pets.
This new Adoption Center ushers in a new era of animal sheltering in Chicago. The days of stainless steel bars on small cages are a distant memory as you walk through the future of animal welfare. This new No Kill sheltering philosophy provides homeless pets with the dignity they deserve: comfortable surroundings, soft beds, natural light, human interaction, fellow pet companionship (if desired), daily exercise, and a 7-ton HVAC unit that provides 100% fresh air fl ow and 15 air exchanges each hour, eliminating disease transmission from one suite to another.
But the design is not only for the pets. People often steer clear of animal shelters to avoid the haunting images of sad faces behind bars—faces that may not make it out alive. At PAWS Chicago, every single pet is treated, healed and adopted into a loving home. Euthanasia is reserved for pets who are irremediably suffering, a decision any pet owner would make for their beloved companion, or for vicious dogs who pose a threat to the public. This assurance is what drives adopters and volunteers to the PAWS cause—knowing that each and every pet is valued as an individual life and treated accordingly.
A Tour through the New Adoption & Humane Center
“It’s Great To Be Alive!”
The banner on the front of PAWS Chicago’s new Adoption & Humane Center says it all, and the four-legged homeless residents inside certainly agree. Once pets have been treated for illnesses or injuries, vaccinated, microchipped and spayed/neutered at the PAWS Admissions & Recovery Center above the Lurie Clinic in Little Village, they are transported to the brand new Pippen Fasseas Adoption Center at 1997 N. Clybourn, where they are destined to fall in love.
Along Clybourn, passers-by stop to peek in on cats sunning in fleece-lined baskets on the window ledge or observe a litter of six puppies tugging on their littermates’ ears, legs, and tails. Most window-shoppers can’t resist a quick detour and walk through the glass doors, stepping into a sanctuary in the city. The calm atmosphere isn’t quite what you’d expect in an animal shelter, with classical music piped throughout (music that is proven to reduce stress in pets.)
In the vestibule, visitors often linger to observe the current occupants of Miss Kitty’s Senior Cat Room, more often than not sleeping in comfy padded nooks or sprawled atop plush beds. “Studies have proven that people often fall in love with the first pet they see, so we put the senior cats front and center,” said PAWS founder Paula Fasseas. The numbers show the strategy is working, with a very quick turnover of senior cats. Turns out many people think they want a kitten, but fall in love with their calmer more senior counterparts. This goes against traditional sheltering wisdom, where pets over six years of age are often considered too old to be adoptable and are automatically euthanized. PAWS Chicago’s experience is that age isn’t a deterring factor in adoption—in fact, many adopters are looking for older pets to adopt!
Once through the door, visitors are welcomed by volunteer greeters and find themselves in the PETCO Foundation Welcome Center, the focal point of the adoption process. Visitors are welcome to wander the halls of Dog Town and Kitty City, but if they want to meet a pet they must fill out the Meet Your Match survey on computers in the Bob and Mayari Pritzker Counseling Quarters to determine their “color.” The color-coded matchmaking process aims to match adopters’ lifestyles with pets activity levels, so if an adopter wants a jogging companion they don’t end up with a couch potato pooch, or if the pet needs lots of exercise, the owners are prepared to meet his needs. This adoption process is geared to set accurate expectations, so adopters are fully prepared and know what it will take to make a successful adoption. Additionally PAWS Chicago is always a resource, available to support adopters days, weeks or years following an adoption.
In Search of Cat Naps and More!
Those looking for a feline family member will journey into the Barbara Bradford Kitty City, where they are first greeted by Miss Kitty’s senior cats, who enjoy ramps, perches, and climbing posts that are easily accessible to these less agile kitties. Further into Kitty City is the Karen E. Linden Kitten Room, where spry youngsters run circles round one another, competing for the highest perch and the softest basket. One door down is the Nina & Livia Kamberos Adult Cat Room, where visitors enjoy Adirondack chairs and a lap-cat or two. There are also cat condos for more aloof kitties that prefer human companionship, as well as a special dedicated room for housing FIV+ cats who make loving companions, but should not be integrated with felines who are not exposed to the disease.
Only for the Dogged
Visitors in search of puppy love will make their way to the Marshall Field Family Dog Town, where life is a party of kisses, playtime and naps. Dog homes often have more than one resident, since dogs are pack animals and tend to enjoy companionship. With volunteers providing at least three walks a day for each canine, in addition to other activity time in the David E. Klaskin Family Dog Play Space in the middle of Dog Town or atop the Bill & Maria Smithburg Rooftop Garden when weather permits, these homeless dogs are well-exercised and stress free. Volunteer runners will even hit the trail with high-energy dogs that need to let off a bit more steam.
It Takes a Village
With several hundred adoptions each month and new pets cycling through the Adoption Center each day, the North Community Bank Volunteer Quarters is a bustling place, full of activity. Twice each month more than 100 new volunteers go through orientation. Add that to the roster of more than 1,000 already active volunteers, and it is easy to see why PAWS is able to accomplish so much. From intake to adoption follow-up, volunteers are involved at every juncture of the PAWS chain of activity. Without their lifesaving work and dedication to the cause, PAWS Chicago would not be able to save the lives of so many pets each year.
Engaging the Community
Shelters alone will never solve the pet overpopulation crisis. It takes active community involvement to build a No Kill city, and the Judith Blazer Community Room is designed with that in mind. Volunteer training, dog training, seminars, youth education, donor events, a venue for rescue groups to adopt out their homeless pets—the Community Room will serve many purposes and many people, bringing more awareness to the PAWS cause.
See For Yourself
Visit the PAWS Chicago Adoption & Humane Center to witness first-hand the tremendous lifesaving work accomplished each day. Adopt, volunteer, foster, or donate, and become a part of the solution to ending the killing of homeless pets.
NOTE: the following page features Capital Campaign donors.
GRAND OPENING Community Room Dedicated with Special Ceremony
A special inaugural celebration for the Judith Blazer Community Room occurred during the grand opening events on September 8, honoring the winners of the Community Room dedication contest. Last spring, more than 600 students participated by either submitting an essay on how animals had infl uenced their lives if they were in grades 4 through 12 or decorating a picture of a cat or dog supplied by PAWS Chicago if they were in kindergarten through 3rd grade. Thirteen schools and 17 classrooms were part of the contest—all from disadvantaged communities targeted by PAWS Chicago’s Community Outreach and Humane Education efforts.
Judith Blazer, the generous philanthropist who donated the Community Room, personally read each submission and selected the six winners. Each child came up to the podium during the ceremony to read or present their winning entry to the audience. Each winner received a $250 Savings Bond donated by Chicago Community Bank, a gift card to Target, and their entries will be displayed at the PAWS Chicago Adoption & Humane Center.
Able to accommodate 100 people, the Community Room will be a focal point for PAWS Chicago’s mission of engaging pet lovers in the cause of homeless pets. Through educational and informational seminars and classes, there will be frequent events for PAWS neighbors and supporters to participate in. Additionally, children’s education programs are being developed to engage the next generation of animal welfare leaders.