It’s a (happy) dog’s life… at our new adoption centre! Thanks to the enormous generosity of the general public in the wake of the tragic fire, plans are now well underway for our new ‘state of the art’ adoption centre. We’ve sought out best practice advice with lots of other animal welfare charities to make sure the new kennels are as comfortable and stress-free for the dogs as possible. As you can see from these architects’ illustrations, the building is shaping up to be an impressive example of best practice in animal welfare. We’re confident that it will create a much brighter, more comfortable environment for our canine residents and provide a sustainable legacy for the home to build on. What’s special about the new building? The new building, which will take pride of place to the right of the main entrance gate, will comprise three kennel blocks set in an irregular hexagon shape around a central courtyard. The design is purposefully inward facing and entirely enclosed, giving visitors easy access to view the dogs and minimising the noise emitted from the building to keep our neighbours happy. It will also allow us to keep the dogs warm in winter and cool in summer! A large leaning canopy entrance leads through to the reception area where visitors will be directed to the viewing areas or the central enclosed courtyard. Visitors can interact with the dogs via glass panels rather than cages. Kennels will have screens between them to minimise the stress of seeing other dogs come and go and will give the dogs plenty of room and a comfortable spot to retreat to at the back of each kennel to sleep. Underfloor heating will keep things cosy for our canines! The central enclosed courtyard will feature a high glass ceiling to provide natural illumination for the courtyard and the kennels. It will provide a pleasant internal environment for visitors with a garden and space for a shop and a café. The area will also be used to allow prospective dog owners to interact with their potential new family member, and can also be used by the home to provide conferencing and teaching facilities. The designs are currently with the local council awaiting planning approval. Work is expected to start in Spring – watch this space or email appeals@dogshome.net to sign up to our enewsletter for updates. 4 N O RT H E R N TA I L S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6
Northern Tails, Feb 2016
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