Real Life Room

[Catherine]

The Toledo Area Humane Society has come up with an idea to help stressed shelter dogs. The call it a Real Life Room. It is a room set up like a normal room in a normal home. This allows families adopting dogs to see them in a more normal setting. I also allows long time shelter residents a chance to have a normal moment outside of a cage.

http://news.google.ca/news/url?sr=1&ct2=...t=2&at=dt0


They are not the only shelter doing this. Shelters are recognizing that the shelter experience is hard on animals. Giving dogs and cats a more normal life experience while at the shelter helps them cope and increases their chances of finding homes. I know the local shelter I support has rooms for cats and many dogs and cats spend the day in various offices with staff. It is all done to help the animals find forever homes and leave the shelter experience behind as soon as possible.

It really shows that people are considering the feeling of the animals and trying to reduce the trauma of finding themselves in a shelter.

[Tobi]

Oh....I thought I had replied to this before. Mind-glitch!

I think this is a very good thing. Mainly for the animals themselves, to have some environment which is gentler and cozier than a cage. I can understand that this would be a much more expensive solution, but what a difference it would make to them, and allow them to relax more. They are just like us in that respect; they enjoy more congenial surroundings. We would survive in a cage, but how much nicer to have a sofa and a nice bed!

The environment (sofas, throws, blankets, rugs etc) could all be bought very cheaply from charity shops (thrift shops) and could do twice the amount of good: helping the charities, and helping the animals.

[Catherine]

Shelters are starting to do great things for animals. They are showing a real awareness of animals needs.

I was going to start a new thread, but this fits so well.

http://torontohumanesociety.us1.list-man...0c9b8a682e

The shelter is in a big city. The big city population base can afford to fund it. Some of the dogs really don't do as well in the city so they are doing adoption events in more rural settings. That means some dogs will live their lives in small towns where they will be happier.

It is like the real life rooms. They are changing how we do things to meet the needs of the animals.