We don’t know about you, but one of the things that pains us the most about animals in shelters is the thought of them having to spend their days and nights confined to a small kennel.
Many animals have previously lived in a house or on the streets, so having to adapt to a much smaller living space is naturally going to cause some anxiety.
An anxious pet can get in the way of themselves when it’s time for them to be adopted.
Unfortunately, anxiety in animals can cause them to become antisocial, nervous and even aggressive- traits that most new adoptive families aren’t looking for.
Thankfully, one animal shelter is on a mission to change how their animals fit into life at the shelter.
The Toledo Humane Society first had the genius idea of transforming their animals’ living spaces back in 2016. A quiet and comfortable room can really make all the difference, so staff at the shelter created a whole room that was modeled off your average living room.
These ‘real-life rooms’ are designed to make an animal feel as comfortable as possible by mimicking what you’d find in someone’s home.
“They (the dogs) all handle the stress of sheltering differently; some get really amped up, some sort of become very introverted,” said Stephen Heaven, president and CEO of the Toledo Area Humane Society. “It’s nice to give those guys a break.”
The rooms feature TVs, couches, rugs, coffee tables, and anything else that you’d expect to find in a home.
After introducing their animals to their ‘real-life room,’ the Toledo Humane society noticed immediately the effect that the room had on the animals.
“When they spend time in the real-life room, their cortisol levels drop,” said Kelly Sears, director of animal welfare at the humane society. “And it teaches dogs that were only outside how to behave in someone’s home.”
The Humane Society aren’t the only ones to introduce this real-life room to their kennels.
The Lucas County Canine Care and Control also make the most of the rooms as a way to make their animals feel more comfortable.
“You’ll see a dog who is jumping and lunging in the kennel, then he’s in there for five minutes and is passed out on the couch sleeping,” said Jodi Harding, interim director. “It’s stressful back in the kennels. Any dog is going to do better in a quiet environment where they can relax a little bit.”
We think these rooms are a great idea for calming down animals during what is probably one of the most stressful moments in their lives.
In fact, we think every rescue center should make the most of real-life rooms!
Not only will animals feel more relaxed, therefore showing off their personalities more, but it also gives the adopter the chance to imagine themselves back at home with their new pet.
At the end of the day, the goal is to get animals adopted as quickly as possible so that shelters have more room to take in any homeless animal that needs help.
Great thinking, Toledo Humane society! Check out a video about the real-life room below.
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