Indiana animal shelter completed with Porous Pave dog exercise areas
When the Humane Society of Elkhart County, Indiana opened its new facility in 2017, one important improvement was missing: outdoor play and exercise areas for dogs awaiting adoption. To enhance animal welfare, eight new play areas were completed in October 2018. Funded by a generous additional donation made in honor of Anne Reel, the society’s retiring executive director, the play areas were installed with 5,960 square feet of Porous Pave XL. A highly porous and durable paving material, Porous Pave XL consists of 50 percent recycled rubber chips and 50 percent aggregate mixed on site with a liquid binder.
“Dogs need outdoor exercise and to stay socialized with other dogs and with people,” said Rob LaRoy, executive director, Humane Society of Elkhart County. “Now our staff and volunteers can see how dogs behave outside of their cages and learn more about their behaviour so they can better match dogs with adopters.”
“Porous Pave was an excellent choice for the project,” said Jesse Angel, southern district manager, Permeable Coating Solutions, Inc. (Greenwood, Ind.), installation contractor. “It is durable and easy to keep clean.”
“The executive director and horticulture and facilities manager at Wellfield Botanic Gardens recommended Porous Pave for its durability and ease of maintenance,” said LaRoy. “Our kennel manager and supervisor also concluded that the material would be less abrasive on the pads of dogs’ feet than concrete or asphalt.”
In the process of evaluating permeable paving materials, the Humane Society project team visited nearby Wellfield Botanic Gardens (Elkhart, Ind.) to see the garden paths they had paved with Porous Pave. Wellfield Botanic Gardens first installed Porous Paving for garden paths in 2013 and has completed several installations since then. They now have a total of 9,000 square feet installed.
Founded 1939, the Human Society of Elkhart County (Indiana) is dedicated to promoting respect and responsibility for all animals and to the prevention of suffering and neglect through education, public service and pet adoption. The shelter takes in more than 6,000 animals annually.
Porous Pave is a highly porous, durable and flexible paving material consisting of chips of recycled rubber, aggregate and a liquid binding agent. An eco-friendly green building product made in the U.S.A. by Porous Pave, Inc. (Grant, Mich.), Porous Pave is a pour-in-place permeable paving material with 27% void space and superior permeability for stormwater retention. It offers exceptional versatility for a wide variety of applications — including sidewalks and walkways, courtyards and patios, pool decks, tree surrounds, trails and cart paths, and golf course bunker liners. Its durability has been proven for more than a decade in installations across North America.
