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Shelter Spotlights
- 1. "Must See" Shelters
- 2. Sweep Program Summary
- 3. "Putting a Roof Over Rover's Head (Operation Kindness, Carrollton, TX)"
- 4. New and Improved in New Hampshire
- 5. Off-Site and On Target (Michigan Humane Society)
- 6. Juvenile Inmates Take HEART (Rehabilitation of Juvenile Inmates)
- 7. "The Humane Society of Yates County, Penn Yan, New York"
- 8. "Phoenix Rising (Chenango County SPCA, Norwich, NY)"
- 9. "The 'Burbs (NMHP, Salt Lake City, UT)"
"Putting a Roof Over Rover's Head (Operation Kindness, Carrollton, TX)"
Julie Morris, Sr. VP ASPCA National Shelter Outreach
Putting a Roof Over Rover's Head
The sight of a shivering dog left outdoors in bad weather can be heart wrenching. For Angie Manriquez of West Dallas, Texas, it was a call to action. Manriquez, known for rescuing stray and abandoned animals, called her local shelter in January 2001 to ask how she could obtain houses for five neighborhood dogs who lived outside without cover. The shelter, Operation Kindness (OK), a nonprofit animal welfare organization located in Carrollton, Texas, was happy to help. In response to Manriquez's call, the shelter began a program called Habitat for Hounds to provide housing for needy animals.
OK, founded in 1976, is a member of both the Metroplex Animal Coalition and Petfinder.com. The shelter cares for up to 200 animals each day, as well as another 60 to 80 who live in temporary foster homes, and places more than 3,000 dogs and cats in permanent homes each year. Like many animal shelters, OK's volunteers and staff participate in education programs for community, school and youth groups. But it's the Habitat for Hounds project that sets Operation Kindness apart.
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WHAT YOU CAN DO
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Blueprint
for Compassion
The original Habitat for Hounds concept was threefold: collect
used doghouses in good condition; accept donations of cash for
the purchase of new doghouses; and get volunteers together to
build doghouses. Soon, an Eagle Scout candidate asked to do his
service project at Operation Kindness, and under the scout
leaders' and OK's guidance, he built and delivered several houses
to dogs in need. Then, Home Depot® donated materials to the
Fort Worth Boys and Girls Club to build more houses for Habitat
for Hounds. The children built 10 doghouses, which helped the
animals and taught the children basic carpentry skills.
Nine-year-old Francisca Cerda summed up the children's feelings
when she said, "The best part is, the dogs have a
house."
As the project grew, the Honor Society at J.J. Pearce High School in Richardson, Texas, chose Operation Kindness for its annual service project. The group's goal was to collect 10,000 pounds of dog food and raise the funds to purchase 50 doghouses. Not only did they reach their goal, they also doubled the amount of food collected and came up with enough money for 60 houses.
Give a Dog a
Home
Bob Walton, director of rescue services for OK, is now in charge
of the Habitat for Hounds program. One of the perks, he says, is
getting to deliver the doghouses himself. Notes Walton,
"Sometimes, when a dog is chained up and without shelter, and you
set a doghouse down, there's a little light in his eyes as if he
understands that his meager existence just improved a notch. And
even in the saddest situations, the dogs give a little tail wag
and just a glance of eye contact, and you're on top of the world
for a week." He recalls one particular rainy, dreary December
day. "Cane, a pit bull retired from the fighting ring, was on the
end of his chain, curled in a ball, lying in three inches of
water because every place his chain could reach was in water. He
was shivering so hard from the cold that ripples were moving
across the surface of the puddle. And even though he would take
my arm off if he had a chance, it
felt good to build him a house where he could get the heavy chain
off his neck and curl up in a Dogloo® full of
hay."
In 2001, Habitat for Hounds handed out about 32 houses. This year, they expect to distribute as many as 100. The group also hopes to educate pet owners and provide them with free dog food. As Jonnie England, executive director of Operation Kindness, put it, "It's not going to change the world, but it has made life a little better for a few dogs."
Julie Morris is vice president of ASPCA National Shelter Outreach.
© 2002 ASPCA
ASPCA Animal Watch - Winter 2002
Courtesy of
424 East 92nd St.
New York, NY 10128-6804
(212) 876-7700
www.aspca.org
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