Naptime! Lights Out for Better Health in Shelter Dogs

Depictions of animal shelters from the past may elicit images of dark, barren rooms with steel bars caked in rust. Pairs of sad eyes looking up from squalor as dogs sit on cold concrete, next to empty steel food bowls.

These images may still be a sad reality for some, but sheltering has evolved over many decades into something much different, especially in areas with the means to innovate.

As more data on the emotional needs of companion animals was collected and studied, the way humans provided care for them drastically changed. This is not your grandfather’s animal shelter.

“Dogs aren’t meant to be awake for 8-10 hour stretches, especially when experiencing increased stress,” said Dakin’s Behavior Coordinator, Lauren Rubin, KPA, CTP, CPDT-KA, FFCP. She added, “Dogs typically need 16-18 hours of sleep in a 24 hour period, meaning sleeping through the night and then getting lots of napping during the day.”

It’s much harder for shelter dogs to get that quality nap time during the day. The stress from other dogs, bustling of the shelter, and almost-constant visits from people at the front of a dog’s kennel never allows them to enter the state of rest that allows their body to regulate.

Sustained stress with sleep deprivation invites illness as the immune system becomes weakened. Bordetella (tracheobronchitis), most commonly known as kennel cough, is a highly contagious and common respiratory illness in shelter dogs. It spreads easily through aerosolized droplets from an infected sneeze or even on the clothes or hands of a person who has unknowingly touched an infected dog.

Rubin began to create a new daily schedule of care for Dakin dogs that would compliment their natural rhythms and instincts. Dogs are crepuscular animals, which means they’re most likely to be active at dawn and dusk.

Staff begins setting up for early morning tasks while volunteers arrive and prepare to take all the dogs outside for walks. Kennels are cleaned and reset while the dogs are out enjoying the fresh air. Once back, dogs settle into clean kennels and receive breakfast based on their specific dietary needs.

The dogs are left to enjoy breakfast, relax, and digest after their morning walks. Volunteers return again to take the dogs out for post-breakfast bathroom breaks. The volunteers take this opportunity to spend some quality time with the dogs and make sure they’re feeling comfortable.

Naptime begins at 11:00 a.m. every day and lasts 90 minutes. During this time, no humans enter the dog areas. Lights are turned off and light classical music is played. “Nap time has really been working,” Rubin said. “If you peek in the windows, you can see them all calmly laying down and resting.”

The adoption center opens at 12:30 p.m., and that means it’s party time. The dogs are now well rested and ready for the physical and emotional stimulation of kennel visitors and meeting potential adopters. Less stress makes dogs happier and more relaxed, which is better for their health and makes them more likely to be adopted quickly.

For dogs who remain in the shelter after the adoption center closes, they’re served dinner and are taken out for another long walk after they’ve had time to digest. End-of-day volunteers return to take the dogs out one last time for evening bathroom breaks. The dogs are secured in their clean kennels and are left to rest until the next morning, where staff and volunteers return to do it all again.

Humane animal care goes far beyond food, water, and shelter. All animals are sentient, complex, and deserve the best and most innovative care possible that suits their needs and meets them exactly where they’re at.