NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Noise inside the Metro Animal Care and Control kennel can be as loud as a jack hammer. That's why the Friends of MACC non-profit is raising funds for a sound baffling system at the shelter.
Sometimes it's so loud that Metro Animal Care and Control employees have to wear earplugs.
"The decibel reading in the adoption rooms can exceed 110 decibels so that’s like having a lawn mower, or a jack hammer going on all the time so our staff in the morning, it’s so loud, they wear protective head gear while they’re cleaning for prolonged periods of time," Brandon Dyce said,
Dyce is a board member with Friends of MACC. They fear the noise is keeping shelter animals from finding their forever home.
"When people come in to talk about a potential dog for adoption, it’s really loud in there, and almost impossible to have those conversations, so you find yourself yelling at the person or saying 'Oh hey let's step out of the room for a minute,' which kind of lessens the adoption experience," Dyce said.
The loud noise stresses out the homeless animals too.
"Just imagine if you had a lawnmower running in your living room, the whole time you were there, that would get pretty stressful and pretty annoying, so for us Friends at MACC we’re really interested in improving that animal experience while they’re here," Dyce said.
At other local shelters, sound baffling has decreased the noise levels.
"They use it in recording studios, so they’re sound absorption panels that we would suspend from the ceilings, so as that noise kind of dissipates up into the ceiling, and to the rafters, it would help absorb that, and catch it, and just reduce the decibel levels in the adoption room," Dyce said.
If you would like to help, they were given a $15,000 quote from a sound engineering company. You can donate here.
