Downtown Dogs connects with people

By The Gazette Editorial Board

The number of stray animals in Cedar Rapids increased after the flood of 2008. Combined with the heavy damage that knocked out the old shelter, it put more pressure on the city's resources for handling wandering dogs, cats and other strays. Animal Care and Control wound up moving to a temporary building at 2109 N. Towne Lane NE.

But the facility is way short on space and ventilation and not well-suited to be a long-term site. City officials are trying to sort out what to do.

Meanwhile, amid the stress, a group of volunteers embarked this summer on a venture designed to do something nice for dogs housed at the shelter and call attention to the city's animal control plight. It's called Downtown Dogs, and it's an initiative we salute.

Every Wednesday since June 30, trained volunteers and a dozen or so dogs from the shelter have journeyed downtown to the Tree of Five Seasons. There, the public can interact with the dogs and get information about volunteering and adopting.

Dogs and people all love it, Jan Erceg, a volunteer who came up with the idea, told us. “A lot of people don't like to go to shelters. Having something outside in a fun location allows people to have good interaction, and it's fun and beneficial for the dogs, too.”

The final scheduled event is today, from 5:30 to 7 p.m.

So far, Downtown Dogs is credited with four adoptions. However, the main focus has been to bring attention to the number of animals in need of homes, opportunities to volunteer and why a better, permanent shelter is important, Erceg told us.

She and other volunteers, with cooperation and oversight from Diane Webber, manager at Animal Care and Control since October, also have been operating rescue teams - contacting other shelters across the country. More than 150 dogs and 75 cats have been placed in states as far away as Colorado and Connecticut. The rescues free up kennel space at the Cedar Rapids facility.

City leaders are reviewing options for a new shelter or perhaps partnering with Kirkwood Community College. Discussions about having a non-profit, such as the Cedar Valley Humane Society, oversee a regional shelter fell apart earlier this summer. A new shelter to cover Cedar Rapids' needs is estimated to cost $3 million, for which the Federal Emergency Management Agency has obligated $1.115 million.

In the interim, the shelter's staff and volunteers continue working together, making do and making a difference in a difficult situation.

“The rest of downtown is also making do for now, so it seemed natural for us to bring Downtown Dogs to the downtown area,” Erceg said.

And even after the shelter issue is finally resolved, Downtown Dogs could be a good way to keep connecting the community and animals in need of care.