The question is not, “Can they reason?” nor, “Can they talk?” but rather, “Can they suffer?”

Jeremy Bentham

In Mexico, there are around 23 million dogs & cats, accordingly to the last census performed by the Mexican National Institute of Statistics, Geography and Information Technology (INEGI) in 2010. Roughly 70% of the 18 million dogs estimated are abandoned on the streets, while only 30% live at home. Moreover, the dogs & cats population outnumbered the elderly and kids ones by the same year the study was done. In addition, nearly 700 tons of feces are delivered by those animals every day, causing health problems in citizens nationwide.

Another statistics by the INEGI show that the human population in Mexico increases by 1.8% in a year, whereas the dogs & cats does it by 2.5%. That talks about an uncontrolled pet growth as a result of our Animal Welfare culture lack.

On one hand, while I am unsure of how many dogs & cats are sacrificed by the animal shelters because of not having enough space for them, I think that there must be several. On the other hand, from what I have seen on the streets, at least 1-2 dogs are hit by cars on the main roads and avenues on a regular basis, not to mention many other cruel acts that are broadcasted on the mass media.

It seems we have lost our sensitivity about this issues. Seeing a dead animal on the street is, for me, the same as a human in that condition. The thing is many of us would rarely think of picking them up and take them to a place where their corpses can be humanely treated. I think we have not done so because there are not such places and regulations, so we don’t know how to deal with those situations.

Animal Welfare Awareness

By the mid-2009, I was asked to pick a subject for my final bachelor’s dissertation. Many ideas came up to my mind and I chose to develop an “Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Treatment Center for Kids”. Hospitality design had been catching my attention some time ago, so I thought it would be a good opportunity to dig in the matter.

After a month or two, while getting back home from school, I saw my street-rescued little dog running towards me to say hello. At that moment, I asked myself: Who are taking care of animals? We do have several healthcare regulations & laws, as well as hospital for us but, do we have enough for animals?

By the third month of the thesis, I decided to change the approach. I chose to design an Animal Rescue and Care Center. When I presented it to my mentor for approval, he told me that it was a complicated topic as there were not such references in our country, so he encouraged me to have a second thought and pick a more popular one where information was vast and available.

I kindly said no to his proposal and began to find out where those kinds of Animal Centers had been done.

Fortunately, I came across many references around the world, so I could have a better understanding of what I was going to deal with. I found it fascinating and challenging, as not only architecture design was involved, but laws and regulations to align with the purpose of a center like that. I also found many 3rd sector Mexican organizations that were actively supporting animals in their localities and spreading the message to more communities. That was a good starting point, but there were more to do.

Once I gathered useful information about Hospitality Design Guidelines, I then visited 2 veterinary hospitals for dogs & cats to see how they worked. Even though they were small, there were basic surgery equipment and post-operation rooms. The veterinary physicians explained me the process of their work so I could understand how they manage daily activities for optimal workflow.

In the first design iterations, I put forward a center for taking care of a wide variety of animals, going from horses, cows and sheep, to dogs, cats, some sea species and birds. However, for the site I chose that was so ambitious, so I had to narrow down the target to dogs and cats only, but that meant a lot of commitment.

The next step was to calculate the animal and human population the center was going to receive throughout the year. Along with occupancy as part of the building program, an estimate was done to know the approximate cost and energy use. To be honest, I don’t remember what that estimate was, but it has to be referenced in my archive.

For the most part, the center was designed to be in 3 main zones, the first one gathers the main reception, examination, surgery and oncology area. The second body hosts physical and hydro therapy room, as well as the animal shelters & grooming floor; it also contains a multipurpose room for conferencing and training of the staff. The third section receives all public to the education and leisure area, where a small museum of the animal welfare history is shown so people, especially kids, are aware of the situation and learn how to foster our beloved animals; there is also a library and restaurant for recreation purposes.

The 3 main buildings are interconnected for accessing from all transition points. To maximize thermal and visual comfort, a courtyard is placed in the middle of the Center. That also optimizes wind & sun energy for cross ventilation and natural light, as well as helping to avoid excessive heat gain during summer time.

Although this project is still in Design Development Phase, the mission is to find partnership with several multi sector associations to take this concept to completion.

The objective of the Animal Rescue & Care Center is to assist our dogs & cats so they can be adopted. They will be treated to improve their health no matter their actual conditions. Our staff will do all what is in their hands to save the animals and give them a better life.

This initiative only needs one thing to be real…

YOU.

Have fun!

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Have Your Say

Share your experience about Animal Welfare and how it has impacted your locality.

Stay in touch to see this project at more detail on Architizer and Archinect, soon.

REFERENCES

1. INEGI (Spanish)

http://www3.inegi.org.mx/sistemas/temas/default.aspx?s=est&c=17484

 2. El Informador Newspaper (Spanish)

http://www.informador.com.mx/tecnologia/2010/224780/6/poblacion-de-perrosy-gatos-en-mexico-la-mas-grande-de-al.htm

 FURTHER LEARNING

1. Milagros Caninos (Mexico)

http://www.milagroscaninos.org/ 

2. The Humane Society of the United States

http://www.animalsheltering.org/resources/shelter_health_design.html