Abandoned Pet Rescue: Orvis Dog Enrichment Grant Report
How did this grant help your organization and the pets in your care?
Providing enrichment and stimulation for the dogs at Abandoned Pet Rescue (APR) improves their mental health and overall behavior, which ultimately helps the dogs interact more positively with potential adopters, volunteers, and staff.
Thanks to the Orvis Dog Enrichment Grant, APR was able to purchase many items to make the dogs stay more comfortable, including CD players to play calming music in both dog kennels, Nylabones and Kong toys for enrichment, Jolly Pet Balls and flirt poles for exercise, and an extra-large Kuranda bed for the shelter's longest-term dog resident, Sampson (first photo).
Being that APR is a no-kill shelter, some of the dogs have been waiting for a home for more than a year, so these new enrichment items greatly help with the dogs' health and happiness.
How many pets did this grant help?
150 dogs
Please provide a story of one or more specific pets this grant helped.
While APR has many volunteers to walk the dogs, enrichment items like a tennis-ball launcher help an active dog like Scraggles (second photo) get the exercise he needs, plus he loves to show off his superb fetching skills. Meet Scraggles here.
Harris (third photo) is a 2-year-old hound mix with beautiful brown eyes and a personality that makes him stand out in a crowd. He loves everyone he meets, and he’s friendly with other dogs.
Harris was adopted as a puppy and recently came back to Abandoned Pet Rescue when his owner fell on hard times. Because Harris knew the good life of a home, having comfort items like music, a nice bed, and toys is helpful as he adjusts to being back in a shelter.
When potential adopters see Harris and other shelter dogs playing with toys in their kennels, it does make people have a deeper connection to the dogs and it also helps people feel less sad about walking through an animal shelter. Meet Harris here.
Nana (fourth photo) is a 3-year-old Dalmatian/terrier mix who loves belly rubs and a good game of fetch. Nana has been waiting at Abandoned Pet Rescue for more than a year to find her forever home.
She is an active dog, so having enrichment toys like the Jolly Ball and Flirt Pole brings her great joy and gives her the exercise she needs. Having these new items also creates innovative ways for staff and volunteers to engage with the dogs. When Nana goes back to her kennel, she has fun trying to get treats out of the Kong wobbler, which doesn’t take her long because she is a smart girl! Meet Nana here.
