Denison Animal Welfare Group: Orvis Dog Enrichment Grant Report

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

We work hard to ensure the dogs get good walks and exercise daily, but they still spend 22 hours daily in their kennels. Enrichment toys are a vital part of keeping animals engaged and occupied and helping to minimize kennel stress. Dogs who are not stressed out present better to potential adopters, because they see a relaxed, happy animal instead of a frantic, barking dog.

This grant enabled us to not only provide enrichment toys to the dogs in our care, but we were also able to send toys home with adopters. We believe follow-up and guidance are essential to successful adoption, and we can prevent destructive behaviors in a new home by directing adopters to utilize these tools. We are so grateful to have received this grant!

How many pets did this grant help?

200

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

Moose was a typical high-energy husky who was very vocal. We offered him toys and found that he would not only sit but also shake, stay, and down! This helped him get adopted quickly! It also kept Moose quiet and occupied in the shelter, which our volunteers greatly appreciated.