Guardians of Florida Animal Rescue: Dog Enrichment Grant Report
How did this grant help your organization and the pets in your care?
Hurricane Ian destroyed our exercise and play areas for the animals in our care and post-Ian storms exacerbated the damage. The yards were reduced to dirt and mud and were not able to be properly disinfected. It was not possible to keep a dirt exercise yard free from parasites, bacteria, and viruses that could be deadly to new dogs and puppies who take time to fully vaccinate. Enrichment equipment (toys, balls, pools, and ramps) quickly became filthy. The contaminated soil could end up in the dogs’ mouths, which would create a host of health issues. Volunteer time was diverted to cleaning up dogs, kennels, and toys that would be better spent exercising and socializing our rescues.
This grant request was for funding we would use towards a $17,500 purchase and installation of 1,363 square feet of artificial turf in three of our play yards to address the above issues. The project was successfully completed in March 2024 with $12K in grants, including the $4,980 provided by the Petfinder Foundation, and the remainder of funds raised by our rescue with our supporters. Our board of directors, staff, volunteers, and canines are absolutely thrilled with the result!
The amount of play and enrichment time we are now able to give specifically to our puppies has increased exponentially due to this project! We feared allowing them to play in the yards with dirt and mud as there are so many parasites and diseases these vulnerable little ones can pick up that can make them very sick or even be fatal. We currently have nearly 50 puppies on site, which is not unusual. We can’t wait to begin fundraising for the remaining yards.
How many pets did this grant help?
We expect up to 600 animals to rotate through and use the yards throughout the year.
Please provide a story of one or more specific pets this grant helped.
Hi, I’m Tenny (first photo), part of the musical “Frozen” litter of mama Elsa (second and third photos)! Mama gave birth in a very rural area of Miami to me and my 11 littermates. Yes, you read that right, 12 of us.
The good Samaritans trying to help us thought there were six, maybe eight of us, but they kept looking everywhere to make sure no puppies were missed and found all 12 of us to bring us to safety! It is amazing that our strong mama was able to care for all of us on her own all alone in the fields until we were spotted and rescued.
Before the play yard enrichment project resulting in the installation of artificial turf in three of our rescue’s play yards (fourth photo), we would not be let outside to run. There is a tiny courtyard where we could sit outdoors in a pen for a little bit, but we had no opportunity to run around because it was too dangerous for us to play in the yards that had been reduced to mud and dirt thanks to Hurriance Ian and other subsequent storms (fifth and sixth photos). Viruses and parasites in the mud can be lethal to us until we are fully vaccinated and healthy, and our rescue just could not risk it.
Now I have lots of room to run and play with my littermates on the turf! I am so thankful we made it to Guardians of Florida Animal Rescue, where we received the medical and general care to survive and get strong and healthy to find our forever homes, and I am so grateful to the Petfinder Foundation for its $4,980 grant that helped make the turf installation a reality. It is a gamechanger in the enrichment activities available now for me and the other puppies at the rescue!
You can see my profile and some of my littermates on Petfinder.com. Here is the link to my profile!
