5 Ways to Design Animal Shelters for Enrichment, Not Just Housing

Focusing on Animal Well-being

At Design Learned, our animal care experts believe that good design isn't just about function but animal well-being. A thoughtfully designed shelter can make a world of difference for the animals inside, helping reduce stress, encourage natural behaviors, and ultimately improve adoption rates.

Here are five ways that animal shelter design can prioritize enrichment (not just containment) for your animals. 

Multiple-Compartment Enclosures

Traditional kennels or cages with a single space don't allow animals to separate their living functions—like sleeping, eating, and eliminating. Everything happening within a single space can cause anxiety and discomfort for animals. Modern shelter designs follow current design guidelines and standards, prioritizing spacious multi-compartment enclosures. Multi-compartment enclosures allow animals to maintain cleanliness, establish boundaries, and feel more secure. This simple spatial upgrade that the Design Learned engineers often recommend supports animals' mental and physical well-being.

Outdoor Play & Walking Areas

Access to outdoor areas and walking paths is essential for dogs and cats! Play areas give cats the opportunity for enrichment and dogs the opportunity to run, explore, and sniff. These activities stimulate their senses and reduce the pent-up energy they may otherwise experience. 

• For dogs especially, daily walks outside the kennel environment provide much-needed variety and contact with nature. 

• For cats, enclosed outdoor "catios" offer safe sunbathing and bird-watching.

Real-Life Rooms & Community Spaces

Shelters that incorporate "real-life rooms" simulate a more home-like environment for the animals. These spaces often include couches, rugs, or household items that help animals acclimate to home settings they'll experience post-adoption. By helping these animals acclimate to the home-like environments, shelters can work toward higher adoption success rates. Community rooms for compatible animals, particularly cats, also allow social play and reduce feelings of isolation. These designs don't just benefit the animals—they give adopters a better glimpse into each animal's personality.

The Ability to Hide

In the wild, animals often rely on hiding to feel safe. And that instinct doesn't disappear just because an animal is now in a shelter setting. Giving animals places to hide or cover, whether a cozy nook in a kennel or a blanket-draped crate, is a low-tech but high-impact feature that our animal care experts often recommend. These "hiding spaces" help the animals feel secure, lower stress hormones, and support emotional recovery.

Natural Light & Comfort

What is the lighting like at your shelter? Fluorescent bulbs alone won't cut it. Exposure to natural light supports healthy circadian rhythms and makes the environment feel more pleasant for animals and people. Windows, skylights, and sunrooms also reduce the institutional feel of many shelters and encourage a more inviting experience for potential adopters. Access to the outside, even when inside with things such as bird watching, is also an excellent enrichment feature for cats.

The Bottom Line

Enrichment-focused design isn't a luxury—it's necessary for modern shelters that truly aim to care for animals. These features improve welfare and make the animals more adoptable by helping them stay emotionally balanced and physically healthy. 

When we build shelters with the animal experience in mind, everyone wins: the staff, the adopters, and—most importantly—the animals. Are you ready to discuss enrichment for your animal shelter? Call the Design Learned team at 860-889-7078 or schedule a consultation online to discuss your options.