Comfy ‘Living Room’ at Toledo Humane Helps Dogs Relax and Find Homes Faster

What’s the best way to get shelter dogs adopted? Let them relax and meet potential adopters in the coziest room in the house. The Toledo Area Humane Society has it all figured out with their very own “Real Life Room.”

Dog shelters are very stressful environments, and most dogs just can’t let their true selves shine through in a noisy kennel area locked in an uncomfortable cage. So, “The Real Life Room” was created to mimic a living room featuring a cushy recliner, a cozy rug, TV, floor lamp, dog crate, and dog bed. And a dog, of course!

They bring in a dog to hang out, relax and de-stress from the kennel area, which also allows potential adopters to see these dogs in a home-like setting with the hopes of making them more adoptable. And it’s working!

Staff at the Toledo Area Humane Society renovated an office to create the room. There’s even hanging art that reads “All You Need is Love and a Dog,” which is perfect for the makeshift room where dogs can be themselves and show their personalities. The room lets dogs be dogs, allowing them to chill out and relax a bit while waiting for their forever homes.

A Facebook post on the Toledo Area Humane Society’s Facebook page featured Jake, one of the organization’s adoptable dogs. It said, “Jake, our long stay dog putting our Real- Life room to use. He is enjoying the quiet calm environment.” And guess what? Jake got adopted sometime after the post. In fact, as the shelter hoped, other dogs who got to use the room also got adopted.

It just goes to show that necessity is the mother of invention.

Check out this pizzeria in upstate New York that puts photos of adoptable dogs on their pizza boxes to help spread the word. And there’s pizza, so you can’t go wrong.

Whatever shelters are doing, if it’s for the dogs, we’re all for it.

Check out the Toledo Area Humane Society for their adoptable dogs.