Animal shelters are a critical part of our society as they provide a space for lost, abandoned, or stray, dogs and cats.
Creating an inviting space for the public and the animals is important to the success of the shelter and adoption aspect of the facility.
These animal service centers are a place for animal rescue and animal control and play a role as an adoption center to find these animals a new home.
These important pieces of infrastructure are integral to a community to keep the lost or stray animals in the area in a safe place, while also dealing with the dangers of animal control.
Designing these facilities with various features to serve the different aspects of animal rescue can help make the shelter run as smoothly as possible while staff have a lot on their plate with animals coming and going from the facility.
Design Considerations
Some animal shelters require an outdoor space for dogs to get outside while still being within a fenced area or their own separate cage for safety.
Kennel doors with a pully system are a great way to provide controlled outdoor access that allows the operators to decide when the animals can go outside on an individual stall basis. This is a great feature for keeping dogs separated and gives the adoption center control of locking outdoor access compared to standard swing kennel doors.
Ventilation can be very important in an animal rescue facility as various animals are interacting and accidents happen on the floor. An exhaust system used in restrooms can also be utilized for ventilation in the kennel area to provide maximum airflow to keep odors minimal. Having an exhaust system in place for the kennel area is worth considering when designing an animal service center.
Epoxy flooring is a great option for the floor throughout the animal sanctuary or rescue building to keep the surfaces clean. The epoxy flooring makes cleaning easier to maintain throughout the facility.
An HVAC system for the entire structure helps heat and cool the entire building during hot summers and cold winter times.
Fencing or gates for both the interior and exterior is important for the safety of the animals, the operators, visitors, and to prevent animals from fighting.
A fire suppression system and security system are also important features to the safety and security of the animals.
Waukegan Animal Shelter
Romtec partnered with the City of Waukegan to replace an existing animal rescue with a new building to fit their needs as a police animal control shelter.
We worked through the building materials, overall look, and options for the building directly with the City of Waukegan.
The animal control shelter features kennels with a trench drain, a future IT room, cat housing area, laundry room, washroom with a trench drain, three offices, restrooms with a tile cove base, along with a reception and waiting area to fit the various needs of the building.
The building has a metal roof over wood trusses, fiber cement lap siding over CMU concrete block wall, kennel-clad insulated guillotine doors, exhaust fan, fiber cement board and batten over gable truss, windows, and a garage door.
This was a big building, and the project was carried out in that way. This had some specific requests and requirements that we had to meet to be able to house animals in the area.
The exhaust system was selected from the beginning because of the bathrooms, but we also wanted some type of ventilation for the kennel area because of the odors.
For the kennel doors, we were originally specifying full size Steelcraft doors for most of the project timeline, then for cost reasons reduced the size of them in width (but they were still full-size doors).
Pully style kennel doors were brought up as an option and were proposed instead as a cost savings, and because they were easier to install, and a more kennel-typical door. We did the pully-type ones as they were easy to “lock” down when the owner did not want the animals to get access to the outside (as opposed to a standard swing kennel door).
The pullies are only on the guillotine kennel doors with each door having its own pully system giving the operators control of when animals access the outdoor space.
Floor drainage systems were used in animal washrooms and kennels via a trench drain.
Designing an Animal Shelter
Preventing disease from spreading in an animal control center, which also may be used as an adoption center, is important for the health of animals and humans. That is why having proper floor drainage and epoxy flooring for cleaning purposes is critical to the smooth operation of the animal control shelter.
An HVAC system for the whole structure is important to the comfortability of people and animals.
An exhaust system for the kennel area helps with the ventilation, keeping smells to a minimum, and brings in fresh air to keep the building smelling fresh.
Kennel doors with a pully system are a smart and efficient way to control outdoor access of the animals for their safety and security. Pully-style kennel doors are cheaper, easier to install, and are a more kennel-typical door.
Fencing or gates on the exterior and interior of the building are critical to separating the animals and keeping each of them safe during their time there. Exterior fencing is worth the investment to allow the animals outdoor time, while also keeping them fenced in to prevent fights.
A fire suppression system and security system are worthwhile design considerations. Even though it may require a specific installer, these systems are important for security and fire suppression in the event there ever was a fire.
Creating an inviting, warm, and friendly space is at the heart of these animal service centers as so much is poured into keeping these animals alive and well.
As the public will be interacting through animal adoption, or the police may have to enforce animal control laws, these shelters provide space for various reasons that are important to sustaining a thriving pet population in every local community.
At Romtec, we are proud to design animal shelters that provide all the necessary space needs, while working with the owners and operators to provide new and unique ideas that can improve the facility’s operation. We strive to provide an aesthetically pleasing building that is both warm and inviting to people and animals alike.
