A SHELTER FOR OUR REBELS
Rebel Dogs Detroit has the exciting opportunity to purchase a 1.5 acre estate with three existing structures. Our proposed design for renovating the existing property challenges the concept of a classic shelter, creating a layout that will aid ALL the dogs we catch on the street. The sick, the injured, the pregnant, and last but not least, the aggressive ones.
Our vision for this shelter will increase our capacity, and ease our rescued dogs into human companionship. It allows them to become their best, adoptable selves!
If you have ever been to a classic 'pound,' you know how the intense barking can make your heart rate quicken. Well, this is also the case for dogs! A dog’s response to fear and stress is similar to ours, but the elevated hormones actually take a lot longer to leave their bodies. This makes shelter dogs in a perpetual state of stress, unable to decompress, re-socialize, or heal. Our unique, fully enclosed and soundproof dog kennels will reduce undesired sound and visual stimuli, allowing the dogs to decompress until we deliberately engage with them via training and socializing. We are confident this will lead to more successful street- to shelter- to home transitions.
Now, what happens to the dogs who need more time, you ask? Well, we have that covered! We often catch dogs who’ve had such traumatic experiences with humans that the road to trust is a long one. These are dogs that have a hard time adapting to our human society's expectations. These dogs would undoubtedly be deemed "unadoptable" and euthanized, even in traditional "no-kill" shelters. Conventionally, no-kill doesn't actually mean no dogs are euthanized. It just means that any dog considered adoptable is not euthanized.
Rebel Dogs Detroit does no-kill differently. We see no-kill as the path away from disposability culture. We believe that as humans, we are the cause of these, and all dogs' existence. We are responsible for the creation of both the desirable and the "undesirable" dog, through centuries of breeding, and that along the way we also manufactured an unsympathetic environment around companion animals. Rebel Dogs Detroit doesn’t euthanize due to undesirable behaviors, we instead experiment with safe handling and enrichment for dogs who are not yet adoptable. As long as they have quality of life, we promise not to give up on these dogs, even if that means they spend their lifetime with us. These special dogs with special needs can teach us so much. Both about the vastness of dog behaviors, and also exercise that muscle called empathy we so desperately need more of as a society. That’s why we refer to them as our V.I.D.s! They are our Very Important Doggies and we treat them as such! At our shelter the dogs who are with us more long-term get special extra large rooms, and extra large outdoor pens.
Because of the unique features in our shelter design we will be housing a smaller amount of dogs than what might be possible if we maximized the use of space. However, we truly believe that we will be able to successfully adopt out more well-rounded, happy dogs with this chosen relationship to quality of experience for the dogs, over quantity of dogs held at one time. We will continue to rely on our amazing fosters for the dogs who have the skillset to live in a home. Additionally, there are great opportunities for expansion on the lot we are purchasing where the third, and largest building currently is located. We hope to begin expanding after 3-5 years in operation.
To start, the shelter will be comprised of expanding and renovating two of the three existing buildings. The first building will be the dog housing unit, which was elaborated on earlier in this text. The dog housing unit will be insulated and conditioned to provide a comfortable environment for each dog. An energy efficient ductless mini-split system will be used throughout the building, with an energy savings of about 60% compared to a traditional ducted furnace. Each dog room will have its own supply air and exhaust, which also cuts down on cross contamination of airborne illnesses, and noises and smells that are triggers for some dogs.
The second building will be our office, storage, puppy/momma nursery, and community space. We hope to offer services to our surrounding Detroit neighbors, such as monthly free training classes, free heartworm testing and preventative clinic, and a community free store for pet supplies. We will have open hours for the community to come visit, meet adoptable/fosterable dogs, and learn about how we can connect them to resources for their dogs.
The design of the buildings has been kept flexible in order to allow for donated and reclaimed materials. While the performance aspects of all materials will be important to maintain, the source for the materials can be open. This is a great opportunity to not only help provide for the project, but also impact the final design and aesthetic of the buildings. Treating the buildings like a patchwork of reclaimed materials is the perfect expression of the “it takes a village” ethic that is embodied in a grassroots organization like Rebel Dogs.
We really hope this project resonates with you. We have designed this project with our Detroit community in our minds and hearts. We are so excited to have this amazing opportunity to expand our capacity to aid the dogs and people of this wonderful city. We can’t go on this journey without your support! Please share our fundraiser with others whom you think will find passion for it! If you can donate, please don’t hesitate to do so! Feeling your drill and hammer calling for you? We will shortly create an online sign-up sheet where you can pledge time and materials towards the stray dogs future home! For now, you can contact us through this form link, or email info@rebeldogsdetroit.com, with thoughts and input. Thank you for sharing our vision and supporting our Rebel Dogs’ refuge!