A Free-Range Pet Shelter

And right in our own backyard, so to speak. This article from the Toledo Blade shows us that you don't have to keep doing things the same old way, just because they've been done that way forever.
Now, we're guessing that there are other animal shelters like this out there, but this is one of the few we've heard of and we love it!

Maumee Valley Save-A-Pet, located in southwest Toledo, Ohio, is a small "no-kill" but limited intake shelter for abandoned pets, where both dogs and cats roam freely, both inside and outside, "in their rooms, the yard, and even through the hallway." According to the non-profit organization's president, "We try to make it more like a home away from home...it's not just cages, it's couches and furniture and a TV with a video...so when [the animals] go to a home, it's not a foreign environment."

                   Photo from The Toledo Blade

Although it's a relatively small operation-there are currently 10 dogs and about 50 cats at the shelter, they are proud that the animals that are placed rarely are brought back. The staff works hard at socializing and training each of the animals, and any behavior problems tend to be worked out by "simply allowing the animals to live as a group." Apparently, the pack teaches each new member good manners, like not attacking the cats, for example, and these learned socialization skills in turn make these orphaned animals more likely to be adopted to forever homes. Last year, "the organization adopted out more than 100 dogs and cats", to which we say: "Bravo"!

Enjoy the full article here: www.toledoblade.com/local/2011/07/08/Save-A-Pet-shelter-provides-home-like-setting.html

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