Animal Rescue Foundation: Play Group Training Grant Report

How did this grant help your organization and the pets in your care?

Attendance by one of our behavioral-team volunteers at the Dogs Playing for Life training.

Our behavior team (which has been almost non-existent) has grown with the addition of wonderful volunteers, two of whom now have attended the Dogs Playing for Life training. Our behavior team has since enacted playgroups to help socialize our dogs and give them more time to play and be dogs, which in turn has increased their adoptability.

How many pets did this grant help?

We typically house 30-50 dogs at any given time at our shelter. The knowledge and training gained from Dogs Playing for Life will help countless dogs that we rescue, as we can help socialize them and make their stay here positive and hopefully get them forever homes faster as a result.

Please provide a story of one or more specific pets this grant helped.

Spiderman is a really sweet pup, but a huge ball of energy, which was making it difficult to group him with other dogs. Our behavior team continues to work with him, taking him for long walks and giving him time with other dogs in playgroups. Since that time, Spiderman’s behavior has improved and more of the sweet, goofy side that makes him so lovable has come out. He’s still quite a lot to handle, so he will need a strong owner. But he’s been able to play and hang out with other dogs and we’re hoping his forever home is just around the corner. Thank you to Dogs Playing for Life and the Petfinder Foundation for helping our behavior team and the pups in our care. It’s truly been a great help, and we hope to be able to send others and continue to grow the behavior team. Meet Spiderman: www.petfinder.com/petdetail/39269335