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Swanky new animal shelter feels just like home--almost
PAWS' Lincoln Park center finds owners for many more cats and dogs, using matching techniques and a refreshing environment
By Kristen Kridel
Tribune staff reporter
December 5, 2007
Lounging on a pink pillow beneath a flowery chandelier, Dapper, a 5-year-old Shih Tzu/terrier mix, didn't even have to lift his head to catch the attention of the couple looking to adopt a dog.
And it wasn't just because of the luxury decor in his dog suite at PAWS Chicago's recently opened Lincoln Park adoption center, the first of its kind in the Midwest.
A personality assessment -- with the feel of match.com -- had placed Jo Reizner and her husband in the same category as the dog. Dapper was described as a "fun-loving, happy-all-the-time, glass-is-half-full" goofball.
"Goofball: that's perfect for us," said Reizner, 51, of Hyde Park. "We're fun-loving. The house gets kind of in a ruckus."
Reizner and her husband were searching for a dog recently at PAWS (short for Pets Are Worth Saving) Chicago, which houses homeless dogs and cats in rooms no smaller than walk-in closets.
While the extravagance of some modern shelters has raised eyebrows, the new digs combined with personality matching have enabled PAWS to more than double the number of dogs and cats it adopts out, officials said, saving many more animals from being euthanized.
The $6 million center is one of about a dozen animal shelters nationwide designed with a host of progressive features: a homey feel, no cages, an abundance of natural light, fresh air and sources of mental stimulation. The design cuts down on the odors, noise and anxiety associated with traditional shelters.
PAWS Chicago is also one of at least 100 animal adoption facilities nationwide using the Meet Your Match program. Developed by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, it evaluates animals' behavior and interests, and matches them with adopters' preferences.
Since the center opened in September, PAWS Chicago has seen its weekly adoptions rise from 25 to about 65, officials said. The shelter, which found homes for about 950 animals in 2006, expects to place 1,700 dogs and cats in 2007.
Animals that waited a month to be adopted now go in a few days, PAWS Chicago founder and CEO Paula Fasseas said. "It's getting people to see what great animals we have," she said.
PAWS Chicago used to take fewer than 10 cats and dogs a week from Chicago's Commission on Animal Care and Control, commission officials said. Since the new center opened, PAWS has been getting about 50 each week.
Shelters around the country, too, are getting positive results as they upgrade their facilities and take advantage of Meet Your Match, said Emily Weiss, the Kansas animal behaviorist who created the matching program.
"They fit together," said Weiss. "Both are going for the goal of making it fun for the person who walks in the door and making it a good experience for the dog or cat in the facility."
While lavish shelters have been criticized by some as Taj Mahals for pets, they're the standard for future shelters, experts said.
Millions of dollars are going to building and renovating shelters from coast to coast as communities recognize the disconnect between the way people feel about their pets and how orphaned animals are housed at traditional shelters, said Nathan Winograd, a national shelter expert in California.
"It's Americans that are forcing shelters to be more progressive," he said.
New-style shelters Winograd ran in San Francisco and Ithaca, N.Y., saw adoptions increase by an average of 32 percent and the animals' time there cut in half the first year, he said.
The new Chicago center was designed to feel like a country retreat for about 150 dogs and cats, said Fasseas.
Built at the site of a former stable, the 13,000-square-foot facility at 1997 N. Clybourn Ave. has wooden rafters and an old barn door.
Classical music calms the animals. A free-standing fireplace in the middle of the building is decorated with glowing candles.
"The whole place kind of has a Zen feeling," said Emily Bennett, 22, a Wicker Park resident looking for a cat. "It's almost like coming to a spa."
Not every dog suite in Dog Town is decorated for a pooch princess. But they all contain elevated beds, cushions, blankets, toys and framed photos of donors' pets.
Across the lobby in Kitty City, cats divided by age have free range of three large rooms, where natural light streams in through picture windows.
Cats sunbathe in baskets, perch on cat towers and loaf on shelves hung at different heights. For those that are sick or don't get along with fellow felines, private condos are available.
A state-of-the-art ventilation system cuts down on the transmission of animal diseases and odors, officials said.
"It's more how you treat a child or people in a hospital," Fasseas said.
Fasseas began the no-kill organization in 1997 when her daughter started bringing home cats marked to be euthanized at a traditional shelter.
Though it's one of the newest, PAWS Chicago's center is not the most extravagant. Others have amenities including an inside walking track, a pond, waterfall, televisions and aquariums. One brings in a massage therapist biweekly.
These features help ward off the health and behavior problems cats and dogs can acquire when kept in cages and let them show off their personalities, Winograd said.
Weiss created assessments designed to reveal a pet's "canine-ality" or "feline-ality" in 10 to 15 minutes. Trained staff perform the assessments when animals arrive at shelters. To determine if canines are trainable, for example, assessors see if a dog will turn in a circle for a treat.
A feline evaluation includes counting how many times a cat interacts with a human sitting near it.
Based on the results, a personality description, such as wallflower, private investigator or go-getter, is determined.
A 10-year-old cat isn't just a senior, Weiss said, "he's a 'personal assistant.' And who doesn't want a personal assistant?"
To learn their own personality type, adopters fill out a survey with multiple-choice questions such as: "I would consider my household to be like a library, middle of the road or a carnival."
"We're trying to give the adopter some information, so they know what to expect when they get home," said Kira Robson, PAWS intake and admissions manager.
"It's to match adopters with the perfect dog, rather than just a cute face."
Marci Malter, who adopted a 2-year-old dog, Boyd, this fall, said she felt the people at PAWS really knew him.
"They were right on about how they portrayed his personality," the Lakeview resident said. "He's just a real pleaser."
Innovations are helping to overcome the often scary and depressing reputation of shelters, experts said.
"The animals do the job," said Richard Avanzino, 65, who pioneered progressive shelters a decade ago, "but they have to have the opportunity."
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kkridel@tribune.com
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