Storybrooke Pet Shelter, also known as the Animal Shelter, is a Storybrooke location on ABC's Once Upon a Time. It first appears in the tenth episode of the first season.
History
Sheriff Graham, having plans to meet Regina for an evening tryst, leaves his night patrol shift to his deputy Emma with the excuse he has to help a sick dog at the shelter since the veterinarian, Dr. Thatcher, won't be available. Later that night, however, Emma catches him sneaking out of Regina's house and figures out why he lied. Despite this, Graham insists he really is an animal volunteer at the shelter. ("The Shepherd")
After coma patient David is discharged from the hospital and resumes his life, he finds a job at the pet shelter helping Dr. Thatcher. While putting up posters around town, he bumps into Mary Margaret, who asks how his job search is going, to which he tells her about working at the pet shelter. ("Desperate Souls")
Although David seemed to be developing feelings for Mary Margaret, he tells her that he is going to work on his marriage with Kathryn. Without either party knowing, they become more enamored with one another. Both begin showing up daily to the diner by seven-fifteen just to see each other. Throughout each day, Mary Margaret secretly watches David come to the diner, go to work at the pet shelter and then return home. When Emma catches her one morning at the diner rather than at the school like she claimed, a lovesick Mary Margaret admits to "stalking" David and tracking his movements. Later on, in the woods, Mary Margaret finds an injured dove and brings the animal to the shelter to have Dr. Thatacher check its health. The doctor says the dove's wounds will heal, but cannot survive on its own and needs to reunite with its flock soon. Although David protests against it, Mary Margaret leaves the shelter to release the dove where its flock might pass by. ("7:15 A.M.")
Following the fallout from David and Mary Margaret's love affair becoming public knowledge to Kathryn and the whole town, Kathryn mysteriously disappears as she is on-route to Boston. Emma begins an investigation, and with Ruby's help, she finds a box with a human heart in it. At the pet shelter, David shares his fears with Mary Margaret that he may have killed Kathryn without remembering he did it, as earlier he was wandering the woods with no recollection of how he got there. When Emma comes in to announce a human heart was found, a grief-stricken David believes himself to be responsible and begs to be arrested. Instead, Emma reveals the fingerprints on the box are Mary Margaret's. ("Red-Handed")
Trivia
On-Screen Notes
- According to a newspaper clipping created for "Desperate Souls," Storybrooke also has a business called the Storybrooke Animal Sanctuary.[3] The article can be seen, upside-down, in Graham's box of belongings,[4] but only the headline is readable on-screen.
- David's shift at the animal shelter used to begin at 7:30 A.M. ("7:15 A.M.")
- The address number is 3651.[5] ("Red-Handed," "The Stranger")
- According to the Storybrooke Daily Mirror, the pet shelter is being run by Storybrooke Humane Society.[1] ("Welcome to Storybrooke")
Set Dressing
- The pet shelter has silvery forest wallpaper on the counter and behind the counter,[6] and tree silhouettes on the window panes.[6][7] Above the fish tank, there is a framed picture of a winter woods scene with birch trees.[6] Real birch tree trunks are used as decorations.[8] These are all nods to the Enchanted Forest. ("7:15 A.M.," "Red-Handed," "The Return")
Filming Locations
- The scenes inside the Storybrooke Pet Shelter, were filmed in Steveston Village, which doubles as the town of Storybrooke on Once Upon a Time. Two different locations were used for the interior scenes in "7:15 A.M." and "Red-Handed."[10]
- In Season One, the blue storefront next to Granny's Diner starts out as a business called Worthington's Haberdashery,[11] located in the former site of Artisans Galleria on Moncton Street in Steveston Village.[12] By the time of "Red-Handed," this storefront has become the Storybrooke Pet Shelter,[13] thanks to a false facade; it is more noticeable in "The Stable Boy."[14]
- This location reverts to the original Worthington's Haberdashery for the 1983 flashbacks in "Welcome to Storybrooke"[15] and the 2001 flashbacks in "Save Henry."[16]
- The Storybrooke Pet Shelter is replaced on set by Any Given Sundae from the Season Four premiere "A Tale of Two Sisters."[17]
- However, stock footage appears to have be used briefly in an exterior shot of the diner in the Season Four episode "Heroes and Villains," where part of the old Pet Shelter sign can be glimpsed.[2]
Appearances
Once Upon a Time: Season One | ||||||||||
"Pilot": | "The Thing You Love Most": | "Snow Falls": | "The Price of Gold": | "That Still Small Voice": | "The Shepherd": | "The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter": | "Desperate Souls": | "True North": | "7:15 A.M.": | "Fruit of the Poisonous Tree": |
Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Mentioned | Absent | Mentioned | Absent | Appears | Absent |
"Skin Deep": | "What Happened to Frederick": | "Dreamy": | "Red-Handed": | "Heart of Darkness": | "Hat Trick": | "The Stable Boy": | "The Return": | "The Stranger": | "An Apple Red as Blood": | "A Land Without Magic": |
Absent | Absent | Absent | Appears | Absent | Absent | Appears | Appears | Appears | Appears | Appears |
Once Upon a Time: Season Two | ||||||||||
"Broken": | "We Are Both": | "Lady of the Lake": | "The Crocodile": | "The Doctor": | "Tallahassee": | "Child of the Moon": | "Into the Deep": | "Queen of Hearts": | "The Cricket Game": | "The Outsider": |
Appears | Appears | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Appears | Absent | Absent | Absent | Appears |
"In the Name of the Brother": | "Tiny": | "Manhattan": | "The Queen Is Dead": | "The Miller's Daughter": | "Welcome to Storybrooke": | "Selfless, Brave and True": | "Lacey": | "The Evil Queen": | "Second Star to the Right": | "And Straight On 'Til Morning": |
Absent | Appears | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Appears | Absent | Absent |
Once Upon a Time: Season Three | ||||||||||
"The Heart of the Truest Believer": | "Lost Girl": | "Quite a Common Fairy": | "Nasty Habits": | "Good Form": | "Ariel": | "Dark Hollow": | "Think Lovely Thoughts": | "Save Henry": | "The New Neverland": | "Going Home": |
Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Appears | Appears |
"New York City Serenade": | "Witch Hunt": | "The Tower": | "Quiet Minds": | "It's Not Easy Being Green": | "The Jolly Roger": | "Bleeding Through": | "A Curious Thing": | "Kansas": | "Snow Drifts": | "There's No Place Like Home": |
Absent | Absent | Mentioned | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Appears |
Once Upon a Time: Season Four | ||||||||||
"A Tale of Two Sisters": |
"White Out": |
"Rocky Road": |
"The Apprentice": |
"Breaking Glass": |
"Family Business": | "The Snow Queen": |
"Smash the Mirror": |
"Fall": | "Shattered Sight": |
"Heroes and Villains": |
Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Appears |
"Darkness on the Edge of Town": |
"Unforgiven": | "Enter the Dragon": | "Poor Unfortunate Soul": |
"Best Laid Plans": | "Heart of Gold": | "Sympathy for the De Vil": |
"Lily": | "Mother": | "Operation Mongoose Part 1": |
"Operation Mongoose Part 2": |
Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
Once Upon a Time: Specials | ||||||||||
"Magic is Coming": |
"The Price of Magic": | "Journey to Neverland": | "Wicked is Coming": | "Storybrooke Has Frozen Over": | ||||||
Archive | Archive | Absent | Absent | Absent | ||||||
"Secrets of Storybrooke": | "Dark Swan Rises": | "Evil Reigns Once More": | "The Final Battle Begins": | |||||||
Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
Other Appearances | ||||||||||
|
Note: "Archive" denotes archive footage.