The Almost Heaven Kennel

The Almost Heaven Kennel

In January of 2000, we completed work (except for a few finishing touches) on a small adoption kennel here in Cross Lanes WV. We hung the last gate on the morning of January 12, and the first two residents arrived that afternoon. The kennel has five pens, each of which is about 4' x 4'. Each pen is carpeted and has a soft blanket for "nesting", as well as a water bucket (hanging on a hook so it can't be turned over) and assorted toys. The kennel is heated and air conditioned, has hot and cold running water, 24/7 music for our "guests'" listening pleasure, and a baby monitor so we can keep tabs on them from upstairs.

Here are a few pictures...

The entire kennel has five pens, two on the left and three on the right. Straight ahead you can see the water pipes coming down from the ceiling. They now have faucets and a sink will be installed under them this week. There's a door on the right beyond the last pen that leads through the garage to the turnout area. Beside the door is the supply cabinet, bulletin board, message board and phone. Behind the photographer is the door to the rest of the basement (the den, workshop/pool room, and John's office). Just outside that door is the refrigerator which can hold any foods or medications that need to be kept cold. The wall on the right is concrete, but it's not an outside wall and doesn't get cold. The wall behind the other two pens is framed and paneled. So it's nice and cozy even in January. The den is used for letting adopters interact with possible adoptees.

Bailey, Bandy (our first official resident!) and Stevie seem to like their new digs.

	This is the work area. A sink and larger counter space will be installed where the small floor cabinet is now. The cabinet on the right holds various supplies. A rack for collars, leads and muzzles and a set of shelves are still waiting to be installed.

Here's that all-important fridge. Dogfood and meds can be kept here, but there's still plenty of room for 2-leggers' munchies and Cokes. The door on the left goes into the kennel. A door farther to the left, out of camera range, goes to the den. Some of our house dogs, Giz, Cassidy and foster Kingfish are all waiting for the fridge to be opened, of course. MONSTER is still trying to figure out what's behind Door #1.

Updated pictures, December 2000...

Whooeee! Things sure can change in a year! What started out to be a 5-dog kennel now has 14 crates with 3 more on order. And they stay full! A wall was knocked out, the adjacent room was divested of its pool table, and large wire crates were installed. The sink was installed in the work area, too.

Some of the girls at turnout time, ready for a romp. You can see the new sink in the background.

The ever curious Lil checks Sue's crate tag to see if there's anything juicy written there.

The new room addition. You can see the seven wire crates on the left. There are two more on the right, out of camera range, and by the first week in January 2001, there will be five crates on the right.

The first seven wire crates. Some borrowed, some donated, and some bought. They're not as big as the wooden pens, but they're the size intended for giant breeds, so they're plenty big enough to be comfortable. A lot of dogs seem to prefer them because they can see out better. Others seem to enjoy the space and relative privacy of the wooden crates.

Dewey takes a break from some serious work on his nylabone to pose for a picture in his crate. I see he didn't make his bed this morning. Tsk! Tsk!

All dolled up for the holidays. Each dog has a personalized Christmas stocking, and there's a tree on the desk in the work area. They might not have families of their own this Christmas, but they'll have treats and know they're loved.

So Almost Heaven is growing and expanding. And still we have dogs waiting to get in. As our capacity grows, so does our network of kennels and owners who ask us to place their dogs. Word is getting around that AHGA finds the BEST adopters!

What do our kennel residents do all day? Sleep, mostly, just like racing Greyhounds and pet Greyhounds. Some things never change. John turns them out the first time at around 7:30-8:30 AM. He usually goes outside with them for a few minutes after he tops off any water buckets that are getting low. If the weather is good enough, first turnout is usually about 15-30 minutes. Soon after first turnout, it's breakfast time. Like racing dogs, our kennel hounds are fed once a day. For pets we recommend feeding twice a day, but in a kennel situation, one feeding works better. After breakfast, they watch John sweep and mop the kennel before they all settle in for a nap.

Sometime between 12:30 and 2:00 PM, Kate turns them out. This turnout can be up to an hour long, weather permitting. While they're outside, water buckets are rinsed and refilled, and bedding is checked. Any wet or dirty carpets or blankets are replaced with clean ones. The floor is vacuumed for stray breakfast crumbs and mopped again if necessary.

Kate turns them out a third time between 5:30 and 8:00 PM. Again, this may be a long turnout if the weather is good. Water and bedding are checked again and the work area is cleaned. Crates and other equipment are checked to see if any kind of repairs are necessary. If toenails need to be trimmed, etc, it's usually done after this turnout.

Kate does last turnout anytime between 11:00 PM and 1:00 AM. This turnout is usually pretty quick. The kids are pretty well ready to settle in for the night and usually come in quickly. Once they're all tucked in, cookies and good-night kisses are distributed, and the lights turned off.

We purposely do not stick to a strict turnout or feeding schedule. Our dogs' eventual adopters will each have schedules (or a lack thereof) of their own, and we want these dogs to develop some flexibility. That way it won't be as hard for them to adjust when they move once more. In spite of what some people say, we don't believe that dogs (unlike some people) need a strict schedule. We believe flexibility (in dogs AND humans) is a better policy. Our dogs all know they will be turned out before they get uncomfortable, and that they'll be fed. So they don't panic if it doesn't happen at a certain time. We think this makes for happier dogs and less stress on everybody.