It is really hard not to smile and have a tear of happiness in your eyes when you visit this wonderful place...It's unlike anything else in Sacramento, and hopefully, it's the start of a new trend in animal adoption centers.

It started when Melinie, the Founder, got the keys to Happy Tails' new empty space. The fun was just about to begin.

And it was...EMPTY...so EMPTY The room was bare...no flooring, no wall decorations...just a postage-stamp restroom and a steel support pole. (The pole came in handy...it became the base for our spiral staircase.)

At last, the flooring was in and the ceiling became a painted sky filled with clouds. Our indoor Happy Tails cats could become outdoor cats without moving a paw.

The enclosure was built and the Adoption Center started to take shape.

A cats-eye view from the inside of the enclosure towards our front door.

Sometimes it's hard to tell which cat is real and which is a mural cat...Pearl, who was our second adoption watches from the staircase as Sundance and Eliza (our third adoption!) play with a peacock feather near the mural.

A team of dedicated volunteers, skilled craftsman, trained artists, and a lot of hard work finished the Adoption Center. Several Happy Tails' foster cats gave it their seal of approval by having a blast playing, climbing and exploring! We owed all of our generous, skilled contractors, artists, and volunteers a huge thank you for making it all come together.

Excitement was in the air and we were ready for it! On Sunday, November 26, 2000 we officially opened our doors for a huge donor party and media event. It was great and we even had our first adoption. KCRA TV Channel 3 and KOVR TV Channel 13 came out and filmed our new place.