No
Room at the Inn
"You
see things and say, `Why?'
But I dream things that never were; and I say, `Why not?"'
-George Bernard Shaw
"WHY"
do we need a new shelter? Dearborn County Animal Care and Control is
charged with taking in all stray clogs and cats in the county. In
addition, the shelter often becomes a place of refuge for surrendered
pets whose owners can no longer care for them. Vigorous attempts are
made to get stray animals back to their owners and to find loving homes
for those who have no place to go. However, there always remains the
possibility that some completely adoptable cats and dogs never make it
out of the shelter simply because we can't find them homes before we
have to make room for new arrivals.
Dearborn
County Animal Care & Control currently operates out of a
shelter on
County Farm Road that was too small from the day it opened sixteen
years ago. The original plans called for a 4,500 sq. ft. building;
however construction was halted for lack of' funds at only 2,300 sq.
ft. Since then, outside dog runs have been added in an attempt to
alleviate over-crowding, but the shelter was simply never large enough
to meet the need. It's no secret that, in the past decade, the county
population has significantly increased because of the Influx of people
moving here to enjoy rural life. That's good news, but more people mean
more animals ending up at the shelter - and, since our compassionate
staff members wait as long as possible before euthanizing an adoptable
animal, the shelter is always bursting at the seams.
"WHY
NOT" provide the best for Dearborn County's animals? A new facility
will enable our county to adopt a comprehensive, cost-effective
approach to animal care and control that will better serve both animals
and people. To achieve that end, the new shelter will have:
-
A well
equipped medical clinic where incoming animals can be examined and
treated.
-
A
sophisticated air exchange
system; separate isolation areas for incoming and very young animals;
and quarantine areas for recovering animals so that illness is
contained and healthy animals remain tree from contagious disease until
they can be adopted.
-
An inviting
space where
animals and people can get acquainted, and an adoption center where
staff can counsel prospective adopters, thus enhancing the ability to
match people and animals for life-long relationships.
The concept of the New
Dearborn
County Animal Shelter represents years of' planning and research.
Members of the New Shelter Committee have spoken with several shelter
designers and visited a variety of facilities all across a 5-state
area. Two of the committee members even visited Best Friends Animal
Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah, the largest sanctuary for companion animals
in the country.
The committee met repeatedly to synthesize the best ideas from across
the country. The result is a traditional facility incorporating
non-traditional solutions.
