Animal Shelter Makeover: P&G Paws for a Cause Part II

Having found a shelter that was both in need and able to put potential renovations made to good use, our friends at Iams, Eukanuba and Natura began the process of remaking a local animal shelter as a part of their Paws for a Cause program. Petside was there to exclusively document the transformation that the shelter underwent! Check out our exclusive video below to see how an animal shelter is transformed, and become inspired to help in your own local community!

Are you seriously considering undertaking a shelter makeover in your area? If so, there could be a couple of vital projects (transformations) that you may want to consider as you plan your shelter makeover. 

To get a better grasp of what improvement projects are most vital to a shelter's success, we spoke with Bev Van Zant, Community Manager with Iams, Eukanuba and Natura.

"The outside of an animal shelter is the first thing that a passerby or potential adopter sees. Therefore, it's vital that a shelter be in good condition, and appear to be a welcoming place for anyone who wishes to enter. As such, outside landscaping projects and painting (with a little supervision) are always in order," says Van Zant.

Van Zant also suggests not just freshening up the outside look of a shelter, but perhaps also making external additions that didn't exist prior to the shelter makeover. 

"Your shelter might be able to use an outdoor gazebo for meet and greets with adopters," says Van Zant. "Or, perhaps, a portion of the shelter's property could be turned into a dog park for the shelter's dogs."

As on the outside, the inside of a shelter needs to be both pleasing to the eye and functional as well.

Internally, updating the laundry room and painting to make a room a little fresher are generally important. "Most people don't realize how important the laundry room is in a shelter," says Van Zant. "Towels, rags, blankets, scrubs, rags are just a few of the items that need to be washed when caring for orphaned pets."

Additionally, updating and cleaning the kennel area and providing new office equipment for the shelter are important projects to undertake in your shelter makeover. Updating the kennel area will make life more pleasurable for the shelter's pets, and providing new office equipment will help make the shelter's employees or volunteers more functional.

Undertaking a shelter makeover is a big task, but making improvements like these will go a long way in helping your shelter improve it's current adoption rates.