Enriching the Lives of Dogs
Enrichment plays a huge role in a shelter setting and is one of the key components and necessity for a dog that lives in a shelter environment. It is not surprising that dogs that live in a shelter, spend the majority of their time confined to a run or kennel. Our Enrich program is comprised of two concepts that have proven to be essential for both physical and mental simulation.
We are always looking for volunteers that want to learn and be an active member of our Behavior Team. If you are interested, please complete a volunteer application by clicking below. If you'd like more information, please email or message us via one of our many social media accounts.
Dogs Playing
for Life
Reducing Shelter Stress one playgroup at a time.
Physical Stimulation
Each day our behavior team has anywhere from 60- 90 dogs out for play, in different groups by play style. Getting each dog out, every day is a huge undertaking. We take a whole section of dogs out of the kennels first thing in the morning, the kennels get cleaned and the next section comes out. We have color coded collars to know who goes into which group. Runners that spend all morning running dogs from kennels to play yard and back. 30 minutes in playgroup is the equivalent of a 2 hours walk. This we do Monday-Saturday, every dog, every day, rain or shine. Young adults, puppies come out and play in the afternoon. We believe that it is our duty to keep dogs well socialized, stimulated and happy while they are waiting (sometimes a long time) for a home.
Mental Stimulation
Kennel enrichment reduces the stress of being in a shelter for the dogs until they find their forever homes. Not only do the dogs get tasty treats as part of our enrichment program. We also use bubbles, aromatherapy sprays, walks, Kong’s, frozen treats during the summer, puzzle feeders, and playgroups! Mentally stimulating activities such as brain games enrich our dogs lives by giving them something meaningful to do. And because these activities alleviate boredom they can decrease the likelihood of our dogs developing behavioral issues such as excessive chewing or barking.
Need volunteer hours but you are under 16 years old? Make enrichment toys for the dogs and cats at the shelter. Check out our YouTube Channel!
Fun and Games
