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Ten minutes before opening time at the Milo Foundation’s Solano Avenue pet adoption store on Wednesday morning, volunteers are busy taking care of Petey, the 1-year-old yorkshire terrier diagnosed with canine flu. 

“We almost thought we would lose him because he had most of the symptoms of leukemia, but thankfully it’s just the flu,” said Milo founder and director Lynne Tingle, as she handed a raw-hide bone to Guyus, the bull mastiff pup who had been found starving on Berkeley’s streets. 

Volunteers at the pet adoption store said they are gearing up to face the many challenges that they and the animals might face in the coming months. 

“It’s not just the harsh winter we are worried about,” Tingle said. “We are also concerned about weathering the political storm of being on Solano Avenue in Berkeley—with dogs.” 

A group of neighbors have protested Milo’s operation on Solano, arguing that the non-profit has sullied the neighborhood with all-hours barking, drainage problems and dog feces. 

On Sept. 19, Berkeley’s Zoning Adjustments Board delayed granting Milo a use permit to authorize the adoption agency’s continued use and plans for 1575 Solano Ave. and 1572 Capistrano Ave. 

Milo was asked to come back to Thursday’s ZAB meeting with concrete plans for the proposed project and address some of the neighbors’ concerns about noise and cleanliness in the meantime.  

If the adoption agency gets the permit on Thursday, it will be able to have a new door, window and landscaping on the Capistrano facade, a new driveway gate, an open space area, and new windows on the Solano facade. 

Tingle said she had sent out a letter to neighbors about ways Milo will try to make the service more compatible with the community. She said she had given out her cell phone number so that neighbors can reach her at any time if they hear barking.  

“Insulated, double-pane windows will be installed in the Capistrano building by mid-October,” Tingle said. “We want to build an internal wall that will divide the storefront and the back space on Capistrano that will help contain the sound, but we need the building permit to do that.” 

Neighbors, however, continue to view Milo as a nuisance and have asked ZAB to shut it down.  

Kristen Schnepp, a resident of Miramar Avenue, said that residents were still facing problems from odors, traffic, and parking problems.  

“Those who walk by the Capistrano side of Milo are assaulted by odors, most noticeably in warm weather,” she complained to ZAB. “Feces left on sidewalks and in yards are often not picked up by the Milo volunteers.” 

Tingle, however, told the Planet that efforts had been stepped up to clean up animal waste in the Milo backyard as well as on neighborhood sidewalks. 

“Neighbors complain that we don’t clean up after our dogs,” she said. “However, it could also be feces left over from other dogs being walked in the neighborhood.” 

Volunteers have also been sent out with “poop scoops” and bottles to spray Natures Miracle on lamp posts, fire hydrants, and other places that dogs frequent. 

Jane Tierney, another resident of Solano, said that she was worried about the health risks the fecal matter and urine presented for the public.  

“Unless Milo is able to create the functional means to maintain their facility as other professional shelters do, they should not house animals,” she said.  

Milo has also discontinued using the driveway as a dog enclosure and romping space. Once they receive the permit from ZAB, Tingle said she wants to create two sound-insulated and ventilated rooms downstairs on Capistrano to contain dogs and puppies at night. Ventilation systems with filters to keep the animals comfortable and prevent odors are also being planned. 

“We are going to do everything we can to bend over backwards and keep the dogs quiet and the neighborhood clean,” Tingle said. “We love our work. It is everything for me and most of the volunteers who work here. All we are asking is a chance from the city and our neighbors to help make it better.”