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Table of Contents: Introduction Before you build: defining goals and gathering information Addressing the numbers Components of the shelter facility Non-animal housing areas Strategies for noise control Ventilation Plumbing and drainage The primary enclosure Re-evaluating the basics: what do animals need in primary enclosures? Elements of single animal housing Cost effective solutions for individual cat housing Elements of group housing Cats: group housing Dogs: group housing Considerations for “out of cage” time Conclusion References The shelter facility and the housing there-in has implications far beyond the shelter walls. The design of the facility will impact disease levels, behavioral health, staffing needs and the daily cost of care (and therefore how much time and money is left over for other important programs). Although excellent husbandry can make up for some deficiencies, a poorly designed facility exacts a daily toll in staff and animal stress and illness. A well designed facility, on the other hand, provides for animal health and wellness with maximum efficiency. It also allows for flexibility in meeting the changing needs of a community and the evolving mission of an organization. It allows for
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Facility Design and Dog.cat Housing

Aug 17, 2015

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dog and cat housing
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Table of Contents: IntroductionBefore you build: defining goals and gathering informationAddressing the numbersComponents of the shelter facilityNon-animal housing areasStrategies for noise controlVentilationPlumbing and drainageThe primary enclosuree-e!aluating the basics: "hat do animals need in primary enclosures#$lements of single animal housingCost effecti!e solutions for indi!idual cat housing$lements of group housingCats: group housing%ogs: group housingConsiderations for &out of cage' timeConclusioneferencesThe shelter facility and the housing there-in has implications far beyond the shelter "alls( The design of the facility "ill impact disease le!els) beha!ioral health) staffing needs and the daily cost of care *and therefore ho" much time and money is left o!er for other important programs+(Although e,cellent husbandry can ma-e up for some deficiencies) a poorly designed facility e,acts adaily toll in staff and animal stress and illness( A "ell designed facility) on the other hand) pro!ides for animal health and "ellness "ith ma,imum efficiency( It also allo"s for fle,ibility in meeting the changing needs of a community and the e!ol!ing mission of an organi.ation( It allo"s for successful response to disastersand outbrea-s as "ell as ne" opportunities such as foster) transfer) treatment or educational programs( /e no" offer facility design consultation ser!ices if you0d li-e customi.ed guidance for your organi.ation( 1ther"ise) read on for more information2 Before you build: defining goals and gathering information$arly in the process of considering a ne" or e,panded facility) carefully articulate the goals for the pro3ect( Consider current and future trends( A good "ay to start is simply by brainstorming the reasons for the ne" building( Is the hope that animals "ill be healthier and more comfortable# That the ne" building "ill be more efficient and easier to -eep clean# That facilities "ill e,ist to pro!ide education for the community or shelter staff# Are there special populations that are not pro!ided for by the current building design) such as puppies and -ittens) sic- animals) or mothers and neonates a"aiting foster care# Are shelter or rescue transfers anticipated) either as a recei!ing or source shelter# These are 3ust some e,amples 4 of course each shelter0s list "ill be different based on philosophy) resources and challenges inherent to that particular community(1nce a list of goals ha!e been established) choose the top priorities( $ach possible in!estment in the ne" facility should be consciously considered in light of ho" it "ill benefit the highest priority goals( If it turns out you can5t ha!e it all) "ill additional adoption housing ser!e the shelter0s goals better than an area for animals a"aiting foster care or rescue or a ne" treatment area# Is a big) impressi!e lobby or retail area "orth a trade-off of fe"er units of animal housing#The ans"ers "ill !ary depending on your current challenges and opportunities( The important thing is to ma-e sure your plan truly matches your priorities( Sometimes shelters are built or e,panded "ith the idea that simply increasing thenumber of animals housed and ma-ing the en!ironment more appealing on the surface "ill lead to great gains in sa!ing li!es( 6o"e!er) more space for animal housing and e!en a nicer loo-ing shelter "ill not necessarily reduce euthanasia( $,tra cages 7uic-ly fill and a more appealing facility sometimes leads to higher inta-e as "ell as higher adoptions( The bottom line is that if 7uality and efficiency of the space is not impro!ed) the results of e!en an enormous in!estment in facility e,pansion are li-ely to be disappointing(Addressing the numbersBefore you build) you5ll need a good handle on the optimal number of animals to house at any gi!en time( The daily shelter population determines o!erall operational costs) staff time for care and has a profound impact on the a!erage length of stay for each animal( In an undersi.ed shelter animals must either be chronically cro"ded together) denied admission or euthani.ed for "ant of space( Increased disease) endless stress for humans and animals ali-e) and reduced chances for li!e release "ill be the nearly ine!itable results o!er the long haul( Though it may be less intuiti!ely ob!ious) too large a shelter can be e7ually problematic 4 trying to build our "ay out of community o!erpopulation is not only li-ely to be ineffecti!e) it can be seriously counterproducti!e( An o!er-si.ed facilityresults in ele!ated care costs and needlessly prolonged lengths of stay( 8ong stays in turn increase ris- for disease and beha!ioral problems) further increasingcosts and daily care re7uirements( In the "orst case scenario an o!erstretched group of staff and !olunteers dash around madly trying to -eep up "ith cleaning and care and become less and less able to ser!e the public or do a good 3ob at 3ust about anything( Again the nearly ine!itable result is disease) stress and reduced li!e release( It5s important to get the number right2Calculating optimal shelter capacity is a multi-step process "hich can ta-e a little time but "ell "orth the in!estment( Calculations need to ta-e into account seasonal !ariation) species specific trends) inta-e le!els and re7uired9optimal holding times( A detailed e,planation can be found in the &calculating shelter capacity' notes*see additional resources section to the right of the housing information page+( If you5d li-e personali.ed help) feel free to contact us about our consulting ser!ices at [email protected](Components of the shelter facility:ultiple smaller animal housing areas rather than fe"er larger housing areas are ideal in most shelters to allo" for fle,ibility in segregating different groups "ith different needs( Populations to house separately include: %ifferent specieso %on5t house predators and prey in !isual) auditory or olfactory contact "ith one another( This includes cats and dogs( Isolation for animals "ith infectious conditionso About ;oung animals *puppies and -ittens under ? months of age+o Because youngsters can5t be protected completely by !accination) it5s !ery helpful to pro!ide special housing areas that mechanically pre!ent e,posure to infectious illnesses( That "ay staff and !olunteers can ta-e special precautions in handling these youngsters and more casual procedures can be in place for healthy adult animals(%epending on the shelter) other desirable special housing areas include: Treatment areas for animals "ith non-infectious medical conditions( Nursery for moms "ith litters or orphans a"aiting foster care( @le,ible 7uarantine space for animals possibly e,posed to a serious infection( Areas to accommodate sudden influ,es of animals as in a disaster or largescale legal case( Comfortable housing that meets animals beha!ioral needs for long term care) e(g( for animals caught up in a legal case or undergoing long term rehabilitation(In all these areas) segregation by species should be maintained(Ases of !arioussegregation areas should be fle,ible to accommodate changes in housing needs o!er time( @or instance) during the summer one area might be used as a nursery for 7ueens and -ittens a"aiting foster care) "hile at another time this same area might house a group of cats surrendered from a hoarding case( %ue to this need for fle,ibility) ma-e sure most of your housing is easily cleaned to accommodate ne"ly admitted animals but can also pro!ide humane accommodations for medium- to long-term housing) 3ust in case that5s "hat it ends up getting used for(Non-animal housing areasAn e,hausti!e list of additional shelter areas is beyond the scope of this document( Areas to consider include) but are by no means limited to) animal areas such as inta-e) treatment) surgery) euthanasia) beha!ioral e!aluation) foodpreparation) laundry) grooming) and indoor and outdoor play spaces for dogs) cats and other species( /hile some areas) such as laundry and grooming) can be doubled up) some areas cannot be safely combined( It is especially important to ma-e sure there5s absolutely no cross o!er bet"een inta-e areas and sic- animal treatment9euthanasia areas( 1f e7ual importance are people areas) such as a "elcoming reception9adoption area) get-ac7uainted areas) and a brea- room for staff and !olunteers( Areas for training) conferences and meetings ser!enot only the shelter) but the "hole surrounding community(/ith proper planning)these can also ser!e as temporary housing areas in the e!ent of a serious disaster(Strategies for noise controlControlling noise in a shelter is important for the "ell-being of !isitors) !olunteers and staff as "ell as the animals( @or cats) perhaps the most important noise to a!oid is the sound of bar-ing dogs( It5s not surprising that !isual and auditory e,posure to dog is a significant stressor for confined cats;($!en one or t"o dogs present in the en!ironment can ha!e a significant impact( In the figures belo" *decibels le!els are along the > a,is) time along B a,is- each represents ; "ee- of noise le!els+) the picture on the left depicts the sound measurements during a "ee- "hen t"o small dogs "ere housed in a cat building( Noise le!els routinely e,ceeded C< decibels during a large portion of each day( In the picture on the right) both dogs "ere remo!ed from the cat building at the time point indicated by the green arro"( @ollo"ing their remo!al) noise le!els dropped and remained belo" C< decibels for much of each of the follo"ing days *the sharp noise spi-es that continue to be seen- occur during each days cleaning time+(%og noise is not the only noise to be concerned about in cat housing areas- any sudden or loud noises can cause stress and ad!ersely affect cat health and "ell-being(In an unpublished study e,amining sound le!els in cat inta-e housing areas and AI rates in ? California shelters) the lo"est AI rates occurred in a shelter "ith the lo"est noise le!els *;