SF/SPCA: Maddie's Pet Adoption Center050

The SF/SPCA's Maddie's Pet Adoption Center is a unique animal shelter that looks more like an apartment building. It houses 21 "doggie apartments" and 67 "kitty lofts," and a nicer shelter layout you've never seen. On Lassie Lane and Catnip Corner, the animals live with mini-living room sets, artwork, toys, aquariums, and even television sets. It's all part of the famously successful and generous program run by San Francisco's Society of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which does not euthanize adoptable dogs or cats.

Designed to make the occupants feel at home before they find a more permanent address - and to give you a sense of how a pet might fit into your own dwelling - the center is inviting enough to spend a morning or afternoon just visiting. Who knows, after a few trips spent scanning the residents' personal profiles and meeting them face to fur, you may even be tempted to give one a more permanent home.

The SF/SPCA runs a series of week-long Animal Camps throughout the summer and during school vacation breaks, offering youth opportunities to learn about animal welfare, behavior, training, and care while giving shelter animals loving attention.