Archive for the ‘reptiles’ Category

It’s quiet here, even through the hum of activity. Sun and fresh air stream in. People walk in and out, greeting each other, bending down to pat heads and smile at the little ones. A sign reads: “Adoption Hours are Monday to Friday, 11am – 6pm.”

Welcome to your local animal shelter.

To the casual observer, an animal shelter may not seem like much of a design challenge: a structure that safely houses stray and unwanted animals for subsequent adoption or, if necessary, euthanasia. But start to consider the details of the building. It must hold different types of animals, in differently sized pens, for variable lengths of time. It should be accessible to the public and welcoming to volunteers while maintaining strict health and safety standards. It has limited staff and resources but must relentlessly promote adoption. Day-to-day operations require basic medical capabilities, laundry facilities, storage, and quarantine areas. It must not be too big (causing unnecessary maintenance and staffing demands) or too small (causing overcrowding and/or excessive distress to the animals).

“Because of their unique services, animal shelters must have the disease-prevention components of a hospital, the functional capabilities of a police station, and the user-friendly appeal of a library, ” said Geoffrey L. Handy with The Humane Society of the United States. This quote was repeated to me by Rick Bacon, President of Bacon Group Architecture, a firm that has designed shelters across the US. Most importantly, a successful shelter design should make what is fundamentally a stressful situation as manageable as possible.

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Just a lizard playing video games.
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Last Monday I posted my review of Awkward Family Pet Photos. Now, we’re giving away a copy of the book to one lucky Pawesome reader! This is the perfect gift for you or that (other) crazy pet person in your life! Read the rest of this entry »

Hands not only create Guido Daniele‘s works of art, they also act as canvases. Daniele began his ”Handimals” collection after being hired by an advertising agency to turn models’ hands into animals. “I researched each animal in depth to see how I could transfer it to a hand, and then set about bringing it to life,” he told Shay Howe. He’s since used the trompe l’oeil technique in advertorials for AT&T, Stern watches, and the World Wildlife Foundation.

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