Animal shelter gets new kennels

The Douglas County Animal Shelter will replace old, cramped kennels with 26 user-friendly ones, a cooperative effort between the county and members of Douglas Animal Welfare Group.

Dottie Mainberger, a volunteer with DAWG, said the old kennels are 4-foot-high cubicles of cinder block and cement that are dark, cold in winter and difficult to clean.

"Right now, a Great Dane would hit his head on the top of our kennels. People have to bend down to see the dogs and many elderly can't see them at all," she said. "The kennels are cold because the heat doesn't circulate properly and on very cold days, the water in the dogs' dishes will freeze."

The new modular kennels provide the needed air circulation for proper heating, a measure that could significantly reduce the kennel's heating bills in winter, Mainberger said.

"The old kennels were poorly built, designed and constructed," said DAWG member Cherie Owen. "The new kennels are light, airy and 6 feet tall so people can walk into them as opposed to crawling."

Research for the project was completed by DAWG volunteers as well as Douglas County staff and demolition is set for today, said Animal Control Supervisor John Respess.

The project will be done in stages. Half the kennels will be removed and rebuilt before the other half is removed. The kennel won't be accepting owner-released dogs during construction, he said.

He wasn't sure what the project would cost, but the DAWG organization is providing half the funding, Respess said.

Statistics for 2006 haven't been compiled yet, but in 2005 the shelter handled 1,300 dogs, cats, puppies and kittens, Respess said.

Mainberger said the shelter has not grown with the county's population and the need is acute.

"People move here with dogs. They're allowed to multiply and naturally, some aren't wanted," she said. "As a volunteer group we put in a tremendous number of hours to educate people and keep the (pet) population down.

"We work our tails off so adoptable dogs don't have to be euthanized and so far it's working," she said. "An adoptable dog hasn't been euthanized here since our group began, in October 2000."

DAWG volunteers interface with regular kennel personnel to assure the animals are properly trained and socialized. Local trainer Guy Yeaman helps with some of the more challenging cases, Meinberger said.

"We get the dogs to the point where they are easy to handle so people will want them. The more contact they have with humans, the friendlier an animal is," Mainberger said. "These animals are so loving. It's gratifying to see a dog go to a home where he/she is wanted."

As a volunteer she deals with all sorts of animals, from the pretty purebreds to those that look tough and ugly, she said.

"The toughest, like pit bulls, are often the sweetest," she said. "Makes you wonder why they're in a shelter."

Susie Vasquez can be reached at svasquez@recordcourier.com or 782-5121, ext. 211.