Austin Boxer Rescue: Orvis Dog Enrichment Grant Report

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

Petfinder Foundation 2022 Orvis Dog Enrichment Grant funds have been used to improve the lives of the dogs in the Austin Boxer Rescue kennel and help them prepare for adoption by positively channeling the stress of transition, burning physical energy, alleviating anxiety, and learning to play, often for the first time in their lives.

ABR has purchased durable search toys, snuffle mats, balls, chews, and puzzles to provide positive activities to help dogs release energy, build confidence, and reduce stress.

ABR has also purchased martingale collars and leashes for safe dog walking by our kennel team and volunteers. Walks reduce stress and provide a break from the kennel routine, helping ABR dogs prepare more quickly for adoption and family life.

Conscientious preparation of dogs for home life, including the use of enrichment tools, results in quicker adoptions, smoother transitions for dogs and their new families, and increased adoption success. ABR's goal is to place more dogs in loving adoptive homes, reducing the number of dogs in Texas shelters. Thank you Petfinder Foundation and Orvis!

How many pets did this grant help?

Austin Boxer Rescue will serve approximately 300 dogs with the grant funding.

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

Wisteria (first photo) came to ABR from South Texas, where she had been abandoned. After rescue, she stayed at the ABR kennel for three months working on behavioral issues that made it difficult for her to find a foster home.

Enrichment toys provided by the Petfinder Foundation 2022 Orvis Dog Enrichment Grant helped Wisteria to stay busy and calm in the kennel and decrease her anxiety. Walks using the collars and leashes provided by grant funding helped her to bond with humans and facilitated her finding a foster home.

She is currently in care of a loving foster home waiting for her forever family. You can meet Wisteria here.

Orchid (second photo) is a sweet senior who is living in the ABR kennel. She’s a spunky, playful girl who came in with another dog who was quickly adopted.

After the adoption of her partner, she began to show signs of depression. Enrichment toys and walks using leashes and collars, all provided by grant funding, have helped occupy her mind and improve her quality of life in the kennel.

Orchid is waiting for a foster home and/or a forever home. You can meet Orchid here.