Center Valley Animal Rescue: Orvis Dog Enrichment Grant Report
How did this grant help your organization and the pets in your care?
The grant was requested for the purpose of restoring and expanding the current dog exercise and training yard. Due to other construction needs at the ranch, the dog yard had been shortened by more than half. CVAR used the Petfinder Foundation grant money to tear down some of the previous construction and then to put up new chain-link fence panels and two gates. The money still remaining will be used to create a passageway to the yard for one of the dog rooms.
Many of the dogs who come to CVAR have behavioral issues due to lack of training, abuse, neglect or just high energy. To help the dogs become more adoptable, CVAR provides daily exercisers, training and socialization with humans. CVAR was able to bring in a professional dog trainer on at least two recent occasions to help the volunteers learn how to approach highly anxious or badly behaved dogs to walk, exercise and train so that they can find suitable forever homes. The use of a large dog yard is crucial to this and to continuing training.
How many pets did this grant help?
17 dogs so far. There will be countless future dogs whom this grant will help.
Please provide a story of one or more specific pets this grant helped.
Kieko is a high-energy coonhound/Lab mix. He came to CVAR from Thurston County, WA, where he was picked as a stray who had been in numerous fights. He came with bite wounds and an aggressive attitude toward other dogs and CVAR’s farm animals. On daily walks, Kieko would lunge at other dogs and other animals and, given his high energy and strength, some volunteers could not handle him. CVAR brought in a professional dog trainer who worked with Kieko and the volunteers at the shelter and quickly showed us all how to train him not to lunge at other animals. The training took place in and near the expanded dog yard.
Kieko has now found a new home with one of CVAR’s volunteers and continues to benefit from the training and socialization. He now exhibits more gentle behavior. Kieko always had a gentle nature about him, but his previous neglect and fights and made him wary of other animals and dogs. Time at CVAR and the training there helped him find his new, loving forever home.
The first photo is Kieko with his new mom; the second is him with dog trainer Tiffany. The third photo is Kieko in the old dog yard; the fourth is the new, expanded dog yard.
