Animal Rescue New Orleans: Orvis Dog Enrichment Grant Report

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

Enrichment for shelter dogs. This was one of the most embraced, beloved and uplifting grants we have ever had! It helped us send shelter dogs for swim sessions.

This grant helped in a big way. It brought joy and a much-needed break for long-term dogs and dogs with behavioral issues. They went with their favorite handlers and they just had fun. They were able to go for a ride in the car, go swimming and stop for a puppiccino on the way back!

How many pets did this grant help?

25

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

ARNO cannot thank Orvis and the Petfinder Foundation enough for the $1,000 enrichment grant, which brought great joy to shelter dogs by allowing us to bring our long-term shelter dogs for a swimming session at Canine Connection. Each dog got a ride in the car with his favorite volunteer, a swim session and, on the way back, a stop for a puppiccino. Canine Connection helped us stretch the grant so we could bring the dogs even more often and we are so grateful.

Boomer is a great example of a dog who benefited from this grant. He is sweet and loving but needs to be an only child for the most part. He is very selective, which always makes it more difficult to find the perfect home. His story is a sad one. Last summer, the shelter where he was living was flooded. The water got so high, so fast, that the only thing the workers could do was to open the kennel doors and let dogs swim out to the roof. They then swam to some dry land, where they waited for days. Thanks to the many people who came forward to help by fostering, ARNO was able to help 140 dogs and cats!

There are only a few dogs left who have not been adopted yet and Boomer is one of them. He definitely needed some time out of the shelter. This helped the morale of both the dogs and the volunteers, helped the dogs’ anxiety levels and gave them one-on-one attention. Boomer is available and would love a home of his own. Meet him: www.petfinder.com/petdetail/36603206

Many thanks for making a difference, Petfinder Foundation and Orvis!