Today I received my first response on my questionnaire, published yesterday. The first respondent is the CEO of Good Newz Rehabilitation Centre (Dogs Deserve Better), located in the U.S. Her views and opinion are particularly crucial as she runs a rehabilitation centre for traumatised dogs. The only difference being she focuses on chained dogs, not ones from a shelter environment.
Q1: What is your occupation?
Ceo of Dogs Deserve Better
Q2: How do you believe current dog shelter designs affect dog behaviour - Positively / Negatively / No affect? Please state your reason for your choice.
Negatively and Positively. Negatively because they go crazy and they are stirred by up dogs nearby that they want to go after and cannot, and positively only becuase they can't get to the other dogs to cause them harm.
Q3: Do you believe that if given the right environment to rehabilitate, more dogs would be less 'aggressive' in shelters, and have the chance of becoming more adoptable?
I do, however, I'm at a loss as to what that would look like. We are developing a wing addition plan, and it will have 'bedrooms' for two dogs, no bars, no cages, with indoor outdoor area. Will be better, but still not a home environment, obviously.
Q4: How would you describe an 'ideal' environment for dog rehabilitation? What key elements would it have?
If dogs didn't fight, I would have them all together. But since they fight too often, we find it not safe, so we have to break them down into small groups. We have a large socialization room with doggie door and large outside area with shade and water pools for drinking and lounging. And there's always staff around. But the dogs still sleep and eat in crates for safety reasons.
Q5: What do you believe are the best methods for dog rehabilitation?
In home foster care is the best, as long as it's a good foster home.
Q6: Alongside rehabilitation methods, to what extent do you believe architecture has a role in rehabilitation?
Quite Important
Q7: There are numerous examples of calming architecture, designed to calm people dealing with emotional trauma. Elements of this include panoramic views with lots of natural light, sound absorption and the integration of nature / outdoors.Based on your experiences, could this concept of calming architecture have a similar outcome for troubled dogs?
I think it would be helpful. A lot of our dogs like to just lay outside on a nice day and absorb the sun.
Q8: Are you aware of any Rehabilitation Centres that allow traumatised shelter dogs to recover?
No
Q9: If selected 'Yes' on previous question, please state the name of the Rehabilitation Centre and any additional information regarding their methods. Otherwise, please state 'N/A'.
N/A. Our facility does this for chained dogs, but not shelter dogs, unless a chained dog ends up in a shelter and we pull him/her.
Q10: Do you believe there needs to be more Rehabilitation Centres of this nature?
yes
(SurveyMonkey, 1999-2014. SurveyMonkey [online]. Available at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/ [Accessed on 9th November 2014]. Published questionnaire available at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/7PYBVBF [Created on 9th November 2014].)