Animal Humane New Mexico: Dog Enrichment Grant Report
How did this grant help your organization and the pets in your care?
Animal Humane reimagined the space across the street from our main shelter, now known as the Pet Resource Center. As part of this transformation, we have designated one of the fenced-in fields as an off-leash area specifically for our shelter dogs. This location, separate from the main shelter, greatly reduces overstimulation and reactivity, creating a calmer environment for dogs to engage in healthy play and socialization.
Prior to receiving this grant, this field was completely empty, limiting our opportunities to provide our shelter dogs with meaningful enrichment. Thanks to the Petfinder Foundation, our Facilities team purchased materials to build permanent play structures in our new play yard. These structures have all been built and installed!
Since getting these permanent play structures, our playgroups have been much more dynamic! Dogs in playgroups are able to romp around in the grass area, jump on platforms to play, and more. Additionally, enrichment sessions for our dogs have been much more meaningful thanks to this grant. Dogs that need more mental and physical stimulation are able to enter the park and work with staff and volunteers on their confidence when taking on new challenges!
We are extremely grateful to the Petfinder Foundation for supporting the well-being of our shelter dogs as they await adoption.
How many pets did this grant help?
We expect this grant will help at least 800 adult dogs in 2026, giving each one play-yard enrichment, playgroups, and more!
Please provide a story of one or more specific pets this grant helped.
Ping and Armadillo are two young residents at Animal Humane New Mexico who are still waiting to find their forever homes. Ping has been in our care since September 2025, and Armadillo joined us in December. Both dogs are sweet as can be and full of energy. They are great fur-iends and have enjoyed playgroups together in the past. Even with these opportunities, finding new ways to enrich their days and support their mental and physical well-being has been a challenge … until now!
Ping and Armadillo were the very first pups to try out our new permanent play structures made possible by a generous grant from the Petfinder Foundation. It’s safe to say they had a fantastic time! In between romping around in the grass with Ping, Armadillo confidently explored the new structures. Ping was more hesitant at first and let her friend take the lead. By the end of their play session, though, Ping was bravely jumping onto platforms and even checking out our new beam. This is just one example of the meaningful enrichment this grant is making possible. We cannot wait to see how many more dogs will benefit!
