When I used to volunteer at a dog shelter, I had to drive off the main drag, down into the "municipal-zone". The shelter was located next to the waste water treatment plant, across the street from a large gravel and construction company, and near the court house. It was easy to miss, only a small brick sign indicating its presence. I used to think it was a silly spot for a shelter that needed to attract people for adoptions. It's almost a miracle the adoption rate was 40%. A couple years ago, I attended the orientation of a county run shelter. And I never went back - it was located in a highly industrial, sketchy neighborhood (it was also an hour away, which is the bigger reason for me not returning).
Which is why I love Kansas-based Animal Haven's program of renting a retail spot (you can get your book shopping done too) in a mall. Brent over at KC Dog Blog writes that 69 dogs and cats found new homes over the weekend!
I love this idea a lot - bring animals to the people and do it in a high-traveled, well marked spot. I'm sure there are pitfalls, but it's still smart marketing. It should be a year-round thing, in my opinion. :)
The Utah Humane Society pioneered this concept at a local mall, which has since closed, and I think it was really neat. They did a great job with the set up and since the screening process was the same as the one at the shelter, most adoptions worked out very well. Nice to see others doing it too.
ReplyDeleteThanks for mentioning this. Just to clarify, Animal Haven is actually located in Merriam, KS, with the retail store in Overland park, KS. Animal Haven handles the shelter responsibilities for most of Johnson County, KS -- but not Kansas City, KS -- which is in Wyandotte County.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, with amount of empty retail space available in most parts of the country, it would be awesome to see more places taking advantage of it.
Oops, I meant to just post Kansas - thanks for pointing that out, I'll edit.
ReplyDelete