Behind the Scenes of the PAWS Admissions Program
As a No Kill shelter, PAWS Chicago saves every single pet brought into the program. (The only exception is vicious dogs, or pets who are irremediably suffering, for which euthanasia is the only humane option.)
By managing admissions, PAWS Chicago asks owners who wish to surrender their pet to partner with the organization to help save their pet’s life. The owner can help by continuing to care for their own pet until pets currently in the program are adopted, or the owner can “foster” their own pet until it is adopted, saving their pet from the stress of entering a shelter at all.
When people call PAWS Chicago to surrender their pet, they have often run out of options and want to find a safe place for their pet. PAWS Chicago’s intake personnel and volunteers are trained to work with people to find solutions so they can keep their pet and prevent more animals from entering the already over-crowded shelter system. In fact, more than 8% of people decide to keep their pet after working with PAWS.
Additionally, when PAWS Chicago enlists the partnership of the owners in helping to save their pet, more than 23% of people fi nd a home for their pet themselves, through their own connections. By working with people looking to give up their pets, PAWS Chicago prevents more than 32% of pets from entering the shelter system. To the right is a breakdown of the reasons people provide when they call to surrender their pet to PAWS Chicago.
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Successful Strategies for Welcoming Your New Dog
Bringing a new dog into the home can be an exciting and sometimes trying experience. If you’ve decided to adopt a mature dog from a shelter, you should expect an adjustment period of several weeks while your new dog acclimates to his surroundings and you get to know his behaviors.
You can expect that your new pet will be slightly off balance or anxious as he starts to explore his new home. Not only is he exploring his new environment, he is trying to figure out where he belongs in the hierarchy of the pack. It may take awhile for him to want to take direction from you and to see you as his new leader.
Your first step should be to control the space in your home. You will need to teach him the rules of your household and he will need to know your expectations as well. If you don’t know very much about his past, you’ll want to observe his habits closely. Selectively allowing him freedom in the house can calm him down and give you time to get to know him.
One way to do this is to set up a crate or kennel. This can provide him with his own “sanctuary” or quiet place to rest. By restricting your new dog to a crate when he is left unattended, you can help him learn proper house manners. Most dogs will not eliminate in their “den” and prefer to be clean in their sleeping area. It will also save your house from destruction when you leave your new dog home alone for the first time.
Some training may be necessary to get your new pet accustomed to his crate, although most dogs take to it quite naturally due to their “denning instincts.” One way to make a positive association is to feed him in the crate with the door open at first. After several days, gently close the door while he is eating. Gradually increase the time in the crate, ignoring any whining or forms of protest. A satisfying chew bone or a kong stuffed with peanut butter can keep him busy and help ease any separation anxiety.
Now that you have a tool to help control your environment, your next step is to enroll in an obedience class. Obedience training will create a way for you to communicate with your dog. In a basic obedience class, you will learn how to teach your dog to sit, down, stay, come and heel on command. Going to class every week will also help you to socialize your dog around other dogs and people.
It is important when selecting a class to look for an instructor with knowledge of canine behavior who is capable of reading your dog’s behavior and selecting the best methods for his temperament. Sometimes there are lifestyle changes that must be put in place. It may be important that you instill “manners” that go beyond obedience training.
Maintaining a proper relationship between you and your dog may mean that you teach him how to greet strangers properly, that you always go first out the door and that you don’t allow your dog in your bed or on the furniture. Decide early in your relationship what behaviors you want to live with and remain consistent in carrying our your wishes. Your dog will respect you for it. Ask your obedience instructor for guidance if you run into problems.
Finally, find ways to bond with your dog through physical activity. Your dog is a social creature and requires stimulation and exercise on a daily basis. Although some dogs are content spending time watching a movie with you at home and going for walks in the park or around the neighborhood, many dogs need more. A great majority of dog breeds were originally developed to serve man and have a “job.” These dogs need to exercise their working drives and to use their intelligence productively. You may need to provide activity for this type of dog to fulfill his needs.
Consider taking obedience classes that go on to off-lead work, higher levels of distraction training and retrieve work. Or perhaps your dog would enjoy an agility class. These types of classes will encourage your dog to learn because it’s fun and increase your leadership status.
Whatever activities you may enjoy, remember that your new dog needs your time and commitment to develop into a confident, loving, well-behaved family member. Your extra time will be well worth the years of enjoyment!
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A Welcome Home for Homeless Pets, PAWS Volunteers, and Adopters
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 8, 2007, 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-of-the-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.
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 Peggy Asseo at (773) 890-5188. You Can be Part of this Dream for Chicago’s Homeless Pets!
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