Home
News
ENLARGE
WINCHESTER — George, a friendly 3-year-old Rottweiler mix, arrived at the new Saving Grace Pet Adoption Center last month 32 pounds underweight and miserable.
In the old, cramped shelter, he would have been more vulnerable to catching a respiratory infection. He might have been too stressed to make a good impression on prospective pet owners.
That didn't happen to George, though.
Today, he's healthy, happy and about to be welcomed home by his new family.
Saving Grace Executive Director Wendy Kang said she believes success stories like George's have a lot to do with the better conditions at the $1.25 million, 13,000-square-foot center.
“I would say that even in that old building, the old environment, you could tell people really cared about the animals,” Kang said. “Finally, the facility that we're in reflects that same level of care.”
Saving Grace moved a short distance from its old 1950s shelter Nov. 29, and adoptions have risen significantly since then, Kang said.
In December, through Christmas Day, 102 pets found new homes, compared with 82 during the same period in 2010.
The adopted pets comprised 41 dogs, 46 cats and 15 other animals, including a family of six ducks.
Kang attributed the increase in part to an environment that's more comfortable for humans and less stressful for animals.
“I think they're more relaxed,” Kang said of the animals. “They're happier.”
At Saving Grace's new facility, George has lived in a kennel with concrete walls 6 feet high. He has a bed raised off the floor, and a dog door leading outdoors to a place to run. He met prospective owners in a private room, without interference from other dogs. All these factors may have contributed to his adoption
Had George been brought into the crowded and less healthy environment of Saving Grace's old shelter, he would have been at higher risk for kennel cough, a highly contagious canine respiratory disease.
His cage would have been partly made of wire, putting him within sneezing distance of other dogs. He also would have had no immediate access to the outdoors, which could have increased his risk of developing kennel stress, a condition in which dogs act out mental suffering with repetitive behaviors like circling or chewing on themselves, Kang said.
The new shelter can hold 50 percent more animals. That's important, Kang said, because Saving Grace contracts with Douglas County to accept all animals brought in by animal control officers and by the public.
Last year, the shelter received about 1,800 dogs, 3,300 cats and a variety of other animals.
“We take everything from hamsters to horses,” she said, though the center discourages people from dropping off livestock. The shelter is not well equipped to handle those animals.
The older center was designed to hold just dogs. Cats and dogs that were lost, abandoned or being given up by sad owners came to the same office where families arrived seeking pets.
Now, cats and dogs have separate entrances, and prospective pet owners enter a separate lobby.
Cats at the old center lived in cages. Now, they live in floor-to-ceiling “kitty condos,” with shelves built by volunteer Ed Havicus for perching and to be viewed by families looking to adopt.
Staff members and visitors said this week they are impressed by the changes.
“I am absolutely in love with the new building,” said Candy Hathaway, a customer service representative for Saving Grace. She said the morale of pets and staff has increased significantly since the move.
“It's a dream come true,” agreed Center Director Michelle Hengel, who has been with Saving Grace for seven years. “It's something we've worked on since I've been with the organization.”
“This is so nice,” said Martha Joyce, 54, of Roseburg, who visited the shelter with her daughter Sheila Joyce, 13, this week in search of a family dog. “I knew it was going to be a nice facility. It makes you feel good to know they're in a nice place here.”
Saving Grace is a private, nonprofit group that formed 10 years ago with the goal of providing more humane conditions for abandoned animals, Kang said.
“Even 10 years ago, people understood we would need to change the facility that we were in,” Kang said. A study concluded building a new shelter made more sense than expanding the old one.
The new facility was built with fundraisers, county funds, grants and donations by some 1,000 individuals.
The center is open from noon to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.
The new center is directly behind the old one, which is scheduled to be demolished Monday to make room for an expanded parking lot.
In the old, cramped shelter, he would have been more vulnerable to catching a respiratory infection. He might have been too stressed to make a good impression on prospective pet owners.
That didn't happen to George, though.
Today, he's healthy, happy and about to be welcomed home by his new family.
Saving Grace Executive Director Wendy Kang said she believes success stories like George's have a lot to do with the better conditions at the $1.25 million, 13,000-square-foot center.
“I would say that even in that old building, the old environment, you could tell people really cared about the animals,” Kang said. “Finally, the facility that we're in reflects that same level of care.”
Saving Grace moved a short distance from its old 1950s shelter Nov. 29, and adoptions have risen significantly since then, Kang said.
In December, through Christmas Day, 102 pets found new homes, compared with 82 during the same period in 2010.
The adopted pets comprised 41 dogs, 46 cats and 15 other animals, including a family of six ducks.
Kang attributed the increase in part to an environment that's more comfortable for humans and less stressful for animals.
“I think they're more relaxed,” Kang said of the animals. “They're happier.”
At Saving Grace's new facility, George has lived in a kennel with concrete walls 6 feet high. He has a bed raised off the floor, and a dog door leading outdoors to a place to run. He met prospective owners in a private room, without interference from other dogs. All these factors may have contributed to his adoption
Had George been brought into the crowded and less healthy environment of Saving Grace's old shelter, he would have been at higher risk for kennel cough, a highly contagious canine respiratory disease.
His cage would have been partly made of wire, putting him within sneezing distance of other dogs. He also would have had no immediate access to the outdoors, which could have increased his risk of developing kennel stress, a condition in which dogs act out mental suffering with repetitive behaviors like circling or chewing on themselves, Kang said.
The new shelter can hold 50 percent more animals. That's important, Kang said, because Saving Grace contracts with Douglas County to accept all animals brought in by animal control officers and by the public.
Last year, the shelter received about 1,800 dogs, 3,300 cats and a variety of other animals.
“We take everything from hamsters to horses,” she said, though the center discourages people from dropping off livestock. The shelter is not well equipped to handle those animals.
The older center was designed to hold just dogs. Cats and dogs that were lost, abandoned or being given up by sad owners came to the same office where families arrived seeking pets.
Now, cats and dogs have separate entrances, and prospective pet owners enter a separate lobby.
Cats at the old center lived in cages. Now, they live in floor-to-ceiling “kitty condos,” with shelves built by volunteer Ed Havicus for perching and to be viewed by families looking to adopt.
Staff members and visitors said this week they are impressed by the changes.
“I am absolutely in love with the new building,” said Candy Hathaway, a customer service representative for Saving Grace. She said the morale of pets and staff has increased significantly since the move.
“It's a dream come true,” agreed Center Director Michelle Hengel, who has been with Saving Grace for seven years. “It's something we've worked on since I've been with the organization.”
“This is so nice,” said Martha Joyce, 54, of Roseburg, who visited the shelter with her daughter Sheila Joyce, 13, this week in search of a family dog. “I knew it was going to be a nice facility. It makes you feel good to know they're in a nice place here.”
Saving Grace is a private, nonprofit group that formed 10 years ago with the goal of providing more humane conditions for abandoned animals, Kang said.
“Even 10 years ago, people understood we would need to change the facility that we were in,” Kang said. A study concluded building a new shelter made more sense than expanding the old one.
The new facility was built with fundraisers, county funds, grants and donations by some 1,000 individuals.
The center is open from noon to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.
The new center is directly behind the old one, which is scheduled to be demolished Monday to make room for an expanded parking lot.
