by Richard Freedman
Originally Published in the Times-Herald March 29, 2009
BV Humane debuts its new Mobile Pet Van!
In the MTV program "Pimp My Ride," a beat-up vehicle is chosen and the lucky owner gets it transformed into a customized beauty.
Soon, many dogs and cats in Vallejo will know the feeling after businessman Buck Kamphausen bought and restored a 1987 Chevy "Step 30" truck for the Benicia Vallejo Humane Society.
"We can call it 'Bark My Ride' or 'Purr-fect My Ride'" said a tickled Peter Wilson, Director of Humane Services at BVHS.
The truck first caught Kamphausen's eye on a visit to Capital Auctions in Vallejo "and we started talking about options of how to get the adoptable animals out to more people," Wilson said. "Buck thought about how he could help us and the truck entered the picture."
The truck needed extensive modifying "to make it human friendly," Wilson said. "It's been totally redone inside and a generator for power, heat, and air conditioning for the animals' comfort has been added. And there are kennels and lights inside."
Wilson said the truck "is the first of its kind" for the BVHS.
"It allows for the development of new programs to better serve the community," Wilson said. "Getting to people who need animal therapy to help brighten their day, along with developing programs to reach people who can't properly care for their pets due to illness or aging. Rather than these people surrendering their pets to the BVHS, we want to assist them to extend the life of the pets with their families.
The truck, continued Wilson, "will make travel easier to events and we can take the show on the road."
"It's really awesome," Wilson said.
Buck Kamphausen and Peter Wilson at Barkitecture.
The vehicle features six permanent units for pets and one mobile kennel. Kamphausen's automobile repair crew added doors, storage compartments and heating and air conditioning to the truck.
"I think about all the opportunities this is going to provide for us," Wilson said. "We can go out into the community with our staff to help people who are shut-ins with their animals."
Kamphausen said the truck had originally been used as a field office for the county. He said it's perfect for the Humane Society's needs.
"It just fit what we wanted," Kamphausen said. "And the shop turned it into a really nice work of art."
Kamphausen declined to put a price tag on the truck, saying it "was relatively inexpensive, though we put a few dollars into it."
"The shop took great pride in the renovation," said Kamphausen, happy that the pet van can be used to transport "therapy animals."
"I've seen so many nice cats and dogs given up by families losing houses," Kamphausen said. "For some, it's like giving up their kids. Now, (the pets) can go to nursing homes, convalescent hospitals, and so forth."
Wilson said the vehicle will also be a tool for raising much-reeded money via auctioned-off sponsorships from this year's Barkitecture. Businesses can still buy advertising space on the van (contact Peter Wilson for sponsorship opportunities).