Innovative approach to animal shelter decor

Animal shelter turns into lap of luxury - click to watch video
"Designers have turned an otherwise depressing animal shelter into a place where cat and dog lovers can visit abandoned or unwanted pets that are up for adoption. Video from KNSD-TV in San Diego."

It would be great if all shelters had the resources to apply an innovative and welcoming approach like this - there are so many benefits! Having a more homely decor makes it easier for prospective adopters to imagine these pets in their own homes and families; and the animals themselves are probably less likely to demonstrate the stressed personality they exhibit in a more traditional, caged shelter environment. Also, families might be more inclined to bring their children to this shelter as it's not such a scary experience for them - which means the kids are more likely to clamor to take a certain furry companion home, which could increase the adoption rates.

Unfortunately most shelters don't have the luxury of being able to do this - they are over crowded, under-staffed and definitely under-resourced - in other words, they're running just to stand still.

This can be changed though! Through pet population control measures such as spay/neuter initiatives, helping families keep their pets through hard times with economic measures, by microchipping and tagging to increase reunions with lost pets and if more people would support their local shelters by donating or volunteering, all our shelters could one day dream of having the resources to create welcoming environments like this for the people and pets they host.

In the meantime, low-budget suggestions to make an animal shelter a little more inviting and cheery include using colorful toys and bedding in the animals' cages, try warm (but still bright) lighting instead of harsh fluorscents, and accessorize, accessorize, accessorize!

Help your prospective adopters see the animals in the best setting possible, and hopefully more of them will find homes faster. Why not share your ideas for cheering up your local shelter? Does it help increase adoptions? Are the animals less stressed (and therefore behave more like they would once adopted) in a less stark environment? We'd love to hear from you!