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Naperville humane society expanding outdoor space for animals

Dogs that find themselves at the Naperville Area Humane Society next year could be in store for more time outside.

The shelter plans to add outdoor play areas and meet-and-greet spaces in the spring along the south and west sides of the building at 1620 W. Diehl Road.

As the humane society expands outdoor space for the animals, it will push parking farther west to a former car wash at 1620 Wall St., which the society bought last year, Executive Director Anna Payton said.

The outdoor play enclosures will help dogs get more exercise while they're in the humane society's care. Payton said Boy Scout Liam Doolin is working on an Eagle Scout project to build agility equipment for the dogs to use once the new spaces are complete.

"We're going to be adding two outdoor play areas where we'll be able to do play groups with the dogs as well as training," Payton said. "That will be a nice enrichment for the dogs to try something new while they're here. It keeps their minds and bodies active."

The play spaces will be fenced in with artificial turf and shed material for a roof, as will the meet-and-greet rooms, Payton said.

Having outdoor spots for people to play with pets will loosen a space crunch inside the 3,500-square-foot shelter, which opened in 1978. Payton said the same space used for meet-and-greets now also serves as the examination room when veterinarians stop by and as a spot to conduct behavior assessments.

"We don't have a lot of space in our building, so we're looking to be able to do more interactions outside," Payton said.

The humane society bought the car wash to the west of its building last year for $330,000. With the car wash torn down, the land is now being used as parking, freeing up an L-shaped area west and south of the shelter for the outdoor expansion.

Work to take place next spring is still being designed, so Payton said a cost estimate is not yet available.

A second phase of expansion could add an outdoor pavilion to conduct educational classes along with a rain garden and native plants in an "aesthetically pleasing area where people can relax and hang out with the dogs," she said.

Payton said these steps will make positive changes without having to add onto the building itself.

"We're looking to expand the outdoor space for the animals, so we're really excited about that," Payton said. "This is certainly something we can do more in the short term to make an immediate impact on the life of the animals in our care."

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  Inside the Naperville Area Humane Society, Executive Director Anna Payton said there is limited space for people to play with adoptable pets and decide if they're a fit. So the society is adding outdoor meet-and-greet areas along with outdoor dog runs next to its building in the spring. Bev Horne/bhorne@dailyherald.com July 2014
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