Humane Society of Boulder Valley: Dog Enrichment Grant Report
How did this grant help your organization and the pets in your care?
The $1,800 grant from the Petfinder Foundation directly strengthened our dog enrichment efforts by helping us move toward the sustainable, comprehensive program outlined in our original request. With this support, we were able to offset the cost of purchasing durable enrichment tools, including food puzzles, toys, and supplies to create 30 treat-dispensing tubes. These resources allowed our team and volunteers to provide more consistent, engaging enrichment opportunities for dogs in our care, helping reduce boredom, encourage natural behaviors, and support calmer kennel experiences while they wait for new homes.
The treat-dispensing tubes have been especially successful with our canine population, offering a simple, reusable activity that can be incorporated into daily routines and enjoyed by dogs with a range of needs and activity levels. In 2026, we anticipate that approximately 1,626 dogs will be positively impacted by these new enrichment tools and the more consistent practices this grant helped make possible. This grant not only expanded the enrichment materials available to our shelter but also helped us build stronger, repeatable practices that improve quality of life for the animals in our care each day.
Thanks to the Petfinder Foundation’s support, this grant has strengthened both our capacity as an organization and the daily quality of life for the dogs we serve, helping us provide more consistent enrichment, reduce stress, and better prepare dogs for successful adoption.
How many pets did this grant help?
1,626
Please provide a story of one or more specific pets this grant helped.
Mocha arrived at the Humane Society of Boulder Valley on April 22, 2026, with several other puppies who were all in fragile condition due to illness.
Weighing only 5 lbs., Mocha had a fever, developed a cloudy eye, and had little appetite. After completing a chest X-ray, our shelter medicine team confirmed and treated pneumonia; Mocha was also diagnosed with adenovirus and Babesiosis, a tick-borne disease. To protect other vulnerable puppies in our care, Mocha and her littermates needed to remain on in-kennel quarantine while they recovered.
During that difficult period, the enrichment tools purchased with Petfinder Foundation funding became an important part of Mocha’s daily care. Food puzzles and treat-dispensing toys gave her safe, engaging activities inside her kennel, helping reduce boredom and provide comfort during her medical isolation.
Once Mocha was cleared by our veterinarians in early May, she was able to participate in trainer-assisted enrichment, including the new puzzle feeding tubes funded by the Petfinder Foundation. Our Training and Behavior Team has since been carefully introducing her to fully vaccinated adult dogs, and Mocha is beginning to learn that other dogs can be safe — and maybe even fun!
Mocha was just made available for adoption on June 14, 2026, and is now waiting to find her new home.
