Animal Welfare Professionals

Hello. I am from the Taylor Animal Shelter in Taylor Michigan. We are in the process of adding on, and renovating our shelter. Has anyone else been through this process ? If so, what are some things that you could of added that you didn't and wish you did, and some things you added and glad you did. For example, kennel styling, drainage, sound system, lighting, industrial washer and dryer, certain type of rooms that are needed, dog wash tub ,out door play area,  meet and greet rooms etc.

#DataandTechnology

------------------------------
Shawn Donovan
Foreman
City Of Taylor Animal Shelter
------------------------------

I'm sure there are lots of things folks will say, but for sure, whatever you think you need for storage, double it. Seems like there is never enough storage for donations, pet food pantry, etc.

------------------------------
Alexis Pugh
Director, Memphis Animal Services
www.memphisanimalservices.com

Organizational Management
& Pet Support Services Specialist
------------------------------

We just built a new shelter in 2015 and it was an invaluable resource to engaging our community and better supporting the animals.

Things we like

• We also added a 1,000 sq foot community room space with a kitchen.  Great multipurpose space that we use for events, rent out to the community, use for education and classes, use for our children's summer camp, and use for general group play space for dogs.  It can also double as a donation sorting space, triage space, setup room for large scale spay/neuter, and temporary sheltering space for disasters or other needs.
• Having indoor/outdoor dog kennels where the indoor side is separated from the outdoor side with guillotine door is great, makes cleaning easier, gives all dogs access to outdoor space and allows easier isolation.
• We also built an in floor heating system into our outdoor areas that makes it much more bareable and useable in northern winters.
• We have no kennels where dogs face each other
• We have different HVAC zones throughout the building so all of our individual animal areas are on separate filtration and air circulation to help reduce the spread of airborne illness.  Our Isolation spaces for sick animals are in their own room behind doors
• We have great drainage in the dog areas with easily clearable trench drains running in front of every dog kennel
• We have a decent flow for intake pathway planning, so that an untreated ringworm cat can go straight to exam without having to go through the rest of the shelter while shedding spores
• We created community cat rooms, which at the time was still somewhat new, now it seems to be a general practice.  They are great.

Things we wish we did

• 2nd that recommendation for storage, you will never have enough, and also having room to do actual inventory management is invaluable.
• We would have doubled the size of our small animal room, it's pretty small
• We did not do any extra noise control in the dog areas, that would have been very helpful, we're working on retrofitting that
• We somehow got cheap door handles, nearly all of them have broken in some way
• We have large chain link dog play areas, we sometimes like to let dogs outside for extended periods, but in these spaces, without any ground barriers, it's too easy for some dogs to dig out
• We did not add tops to all of our kennels, some dogs can scale a 6 foot chain link/concrete wall
• The double lock system on our kennel doors is a bit of a pain and doesn't actual lock all that well (I.E. a few extra smart dogs have figured out how to open them)

Some other things to think about

• Overbuild whenever possible, pipe and wire things if you think you'll ever need power or water or internet
• Think about building design in terms of future expansion when looking at internal layout and external footprint
• Think about what you deal with the most.  Is it ringworm?  Is it feral cats? etc.  make sure you have design elements that include those needs
• Spend a good amount of time thinking about materials, especially floor surfaces.  What's going to be durable with the products you use.  What's going to be easy to clean, if a cat falls off of a shelf, what's going to help absorb their impact, what's going to absorb or reflect sound the right way.
• Think about noise separation between dogs and cats and small animals
• If you need additional resources, UC-Davis Koret School has a facility design veterinarian, Dr. Becky Stuntebeck, who we've worked with on non-design projects, but is a fantastic resource across the board if you have more questions or want more construction resources.
• I'm also attaching a good primer document on thinking about construction of new shelters.

------------------------------
Jeff Okazaki
Humane Society of Jefferson County
------------------------------

Hi Shawn,

Lately, I've been thinking about the possibilities that would come with having on-site housing for veterinarians. Recent graduates are looking for experience and housing plus their youth usually comes with enthusiasm to help animals in need. A modest apartment for 3 people would mean enough vet staff to have someone working a regular shift, someone on call and then the 3rd person can have a day off. Many areas don't have 24hr vet care so this is a potential revenue source for the shelter.  Plus, they can be onsite to provide extra care for animals that need it. 

Diane

------------------------------
Diane Zahorodny
World Ready Pets
------------------------------