A question we get asked daily at the shelter is “why can’t I go in the dog room?” The dog room is where we house all of the pups here who are awaiting adoption. If you haven’t been in our building, picture a large room filled with kennels. The important thing about this space is that it’s the place where the dogs feel at home.
Our kennel staff focuses specifically on keeping the dog room quiet, and keeping the dogs as comfortable as possible. Something that much of the public may not realize is that JHACC finds homes for roughly 100 animals per month.
Averaging that out, three plus people visit our shelter every single day with the intention of adopting.
The dogs here spend a lot of time outside of this room. Our dogs have an amazing outside yard where they spend time in playgroups. We utilize our classroom to give the dogs a lot of enrichment time as well. Our pups love trying to find treats in empty soda boxes and enjoy their nosework.
Our Foster Care Coordinator collaborates with many businesses in the community that allow our animals to socialize with people in town. The shelter dogs also frequent Farmer’s Markets and other events. We are constantly and consistently looking for situations that include enrichment and exposure to a variety of experiences. Each time our pups are out and about we learn more about their personalities. Every interaction helps discover what type of home would be best for them. Every member of our staff takes every opportunity to learn about the animals here and to give them the absolute best shot at finding and being successful in a forever home.
The point I’m trying to make is that the Dog Room is their sanctuary. It’s the place they return to after a long day. It’s their safe place to sleep, to relax, to feel at home.
Our staff works hard to ensure that the noise level stays down and that when the dogs are inside the Dog Room the door is being opened/shut as little as possible.
If you come to the shelter, any one of us would absolutely love to show you around. However, going inside the dog room won’t be a part of that tour. If you visit us because you’d like to adopt a dog, our staff will be more than happy to perform a meet and greet with you/your family and the dog/dogs that you think will be a good fit for your home.
We’re also happy to answer questions about the dogs and have conversations with you to help decide which pup will be a fit for your family.
When you’re questioning why you can’t go in the dog room, I encourage you to keep these things in mind. Loving dogs is an easy thing to do. It’s the easiest part of our job. We’re lucky to be able to do that daily with incredible support from our community. We thank you for supporting us and for supporting our efforts to keep the Dog Room a safe and quiet space.
