WP: Maximum Bliss at the Pound: Deluxe Comfort at D.C. Shelter

[DeepModem Mom]

Maximum Bliss at the Pound
Abused, Neglected, Abandoned Pets Bask in Deluxe Comfort at Shelter
By Petula Dvorak
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, October 21, 2006; Page B01


The Washington Animal Rescue League's new "holistic" shelter uses soothing music, running water and heated floors to rehabilitate D.C.'s sick, abused and neglected animals.

Larry the yellow Lab sleeps on a memory foam mattress. Paddy the Irish wolfhound laps from an automatically refilling water dish. Olga and Oslo, two Rhodesian Ridgeback-mix puppies, sprawl on a radiant-heated floor in Zen-like bliss.

They are among 80 homeless hounds inhabiting a new animal shelter that is ritzier than many day spas. These mutts exude the contentment of society housewives detoxing at an ashram, soothed into near total silence under a glass skylight skimmed by cascading sheets of recirculated water, the room aglow with daylight streaming through glass walls and thrumming with piped-in harp.

"Do you hear that? No barking. You barely hear a peep," enthused Scotlund Haisley, executive director of the Washington Animal Rescue League, which is officially unveiling its posh new animal shelter in Northwest Washington to the public this weekend....

***

"Slowly, what's happening is that Americans are no longer accepting the small, stinky, rusty-fence shelters as suitable places for animals," said John Snyder, vice president for companion animals at the Humane Society of the United States. "There is a renaissance of new construction of these facilities across the country, and we're seeing some very attractive facilities."...

***

Gary Weitzman, the shelter's medical director, said that because of the calming music, fresh water and heated floors, abused and diseased animals heal faster. And kennel cough -- a highly contagious illness in dogs -- has dropped nearly 90 percent with fresh air being circulated into individual dens....The facility also seems to affect people who come looking for pets. Adoptions are up, said adoption manager Shelley Petrasek, who credits the visible amenities with making people feel good about adopting animals....

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/20/AR2006102001399.html?nav=most_emailed

[robinlynne]

1. This is wonderful. I hope it spreads.

[DeepModem Mom]

2. Somehow, it brought tears to my eyes -- it IS wonderful! nt

[stray cat]

3. It is wonderful but I wish we were as compassionate to people

[DeepModem Mom]

4. The article addresses this issue --

"Of course, people will say it's nicer than some shelters for people," Haisley said, stopping to scratch Tate, a Labrador retriever mix, between the ears. "I understand that, but I don't run a human shelter. And if I did, it would have all this.

[robinlynne]

7. animals are the same as people, children. We are responsible for caring

for their well-being. And yet we starve them, throw them in the street. They are no different inside.

[Pirate Smile]

5. It is a lovely story. Read the entire thing - here are some more details:

"Staff members say they have noticed a distinct improvement in the animals' behavior and health.

Gary Weitzman, the shelter's medical director, said that because of the calming music, fresh water and heated floors, abused and diseased animals heal faster. And kennel cough -- a highly contagious illness in dogs -- has dropped nearly 90 percent with fresh air being circulated into individual dens, he said.

The facility also seems to affect people who come looking for pets. Adoptions are up, said adoption manager Shelley Petrasek, who credits the visible amenities with making people feel good about adopting animals.

-snip-
Perhaps the best testament to the benefits of an extreme makeover is the story of Christiano, an ungainly terrier mix who was rescued from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina but languished in the shelter for a full year -- unfriendly, reclusive and undesirable.

Once the new shelter opened and the chimes played in his dog run and the water fountain trickled, Christiano started to unwind. He relaxed, wagged his tail and started approaching families looking for a pet. He found his match within days."

[Pirate Smile]

6. If anyone is interested in adopting dogs or cats in your area, check out

Petfinders.com.

You can put in your zip code and it will give you the shelters all around you. You can look at certain kinds of dogs or cats (or all of them), puppy, adult or senior, special needs, are they good with cats or dogs or kids, etc.

http://www.petfinder.com/