Grand Prairie Animal Services: Dogs Playing for Life Mentorship Grant Report
How did this grant help your organization and the pets in your care?
This mentorship has been a key factor in streamlining shelter operations here at Grand Prairie Animal Services. Having staff with more confidence in assessments makes a world of difference and it has a waterfall effect where each team member learns from another. The dogs end up learning a thing or too from each other, too!
How many pets did this grant help?
We expect to take in almost 2,400 adult dogs this year.
Please provide a story of one or more specific pets this grant helped.
Pogo is one of our very special cases who is currently looking for a home. He was reported as an injured dog who had been out for two nights; given how friendly he was from the beginning, our officer was able to capture him and immediately transported him to an emergency vet.
Pogo spent the winter holiday with his new two-legged friends at the shelter and, ultimately, an amputation decision had to be made. Our sweet Pogo began adapting to life as a tripod on New Year’s Eve. With the help of our exceptional medical staff, Pogo healed well.
The thing is, taking care of an animal’s physical well-being is only half our battle. More than 60 days later, Pogo is still looking for his family.
The good thing is, with the knowledge obtained from our Dogs Playing for Life Mentorship, Pogo has been able to go out in playgroup and express his happy-go-lucky self. He did so well with the other pups that he is now co-housed with two buddies who help make his stay even easier.
UPDATE MARCH 20, 2022: Pogo has been adopted (final photo).
Although it’s no replacement for a true family, the level of enrichment our team is able to provide now allows kiddos like Pogo to stay healthy AND happy during this stop on their journey home.
