Valley Animal Haven & Adoption Center: Orvis Dog Enrichment Grant Report
How did this grant help your organization and the pets in your care?
The grant was used to purchase pools and misters for our main kennel areas to keep the rescue cool during the summer months. Our kennel area can get very warm, especially in the summer. The misters allow our kennel areas to keep cool and the pools provide extra recreation for our animals to play and have fun in. The products purchased allow us to greatly improve the quality of care within our facility.
This grant assisted our organization in keeping our animals nice and cool during the warm summer months. The misters are on during the afternoons and the pools are routinely cleaned and replenished for our dogs to play in during the summer.
How many pets did this grant help?
60 dogs
Please provide a story of one or more specific pets this grant helped.
This grant specifically helped our long-term residents find some recreation. The dogs in our facility can keep nice and cool in the summer months, and the quality of life offered for our animals is increased. Overall, the grant helped us increase adoption outcomes because our animals are happier and experiencing significant stress reduction. One dog helped in particular is Leo (first photo), a basset hound mix who is about 5 years old. He was surrendered to our organization because his owners were moving and decided that they would not move with him. Leo was heartbroken and very depressed while in the kennel areas.
Over the course of several months, our staff learned that Leo loved playing with water. When we would be hosing the kennels, he would get extremely excited and would try to immerse himself with the water in his kennel area. Through the grant, we purchased pools for our kennel area and Leo was one of the first dogs to experience one of them. He loves rolling and playing in the water! About six months later, Leo was adopted by a family who loves to go to the marina. They wanted a dog who wasn’t afraid to get down and dirty and play with the family in the water. Leo was the perfect match for the family!
Atlas (second photo) is a shepherd mix who is about 2 years old. Atlas is a special-needs dog, as he experiences seizures and requires medication. We noticed that his seizures would be worse during the summer, as temperatures can reach up to 113 degrees in this area. When we introduced the pool to his kennel, he fell in love with it. He would stay in the pool to keep nice and cool and would also play with his toys in the water. The pool gave him a great opportunity to enjoy some recreation and keep himself from overheating during the summer. Atlas was eventually adopted by a couple seeking a special-needs dog for their special-needs child.
