Animal Friends' 10-Days-of-10 Anniversary Event: Canine Enriched Environment Trail

Doggone, we've done it again! 

In conjunction with our 10-Days-of-10 Anniversary Event, we've created yet another famed Enriched Environment Trail. But this time, we've based it on the materials of traditional anniversary gifts.

For hundreds of years, people have been giving gifts based on different materials to celebrate anniversaries. So we tried our hand at a trail based on that concept.

Of course, the goal of our enrichment activities is so much more than fun and games! It's to provide the our shelter pets with a chance to think and learn with the introduction of novel objects. The objects may have a unique texture, scent or sound. 

Dogs love to discover new things and use their sniffers. So this enrichment trail added something unexpected to their daily routine, thus mentally stimulating the pups' minds and giving them confidence. The pooches moved along the trail at their own pace and were given ample time to investigate each activity.

For the gift of paper, shredded newspaper was placed in a wading pool and we received no complaints from Tumbleweed or Patsy!

 

Second anniversaries receive cotton, which translates to rope toys in a wading pool. And look at Tika, BoomBoom and Mahogany go - use those sniffers!

For year three and leather, a pile of leather shoes was placed in a box. Sniff the leather shoes ... if you dare! And, clearly Ringo, Neeko and BoomBoom dove right now. Way too many good sniffs to pass up here!

Fruits and flowers is for fourth anniversaries. We thought placing fresh flowers in sniffing box would really give the pooches from variation (especially after smelling a box of shoes!). BoomBoom and Milkbone had no complaints!

Wood is given for fifth year. What did we opt for at this station? Cheese tree, of course! Ferngully closed her eyes while she enjoyed the cheese. She knew the flavor of the cheese would be brought out by the scent of tree. Not Patsy, she just went for it.

"Candy" poppers were placed in a wading pool to symbolize sixth anniversaries and the gift of candy. Sirius and Neeko weren't shy at all. Take as much "candy" as you'd like boys!

  

 

  
Year seven and wool, a "sheep" maze was created. Sirius, Elvis and Tumbleweed wove their way through the "sheep" like champs!

 

Pottery is the gift for eighth anniversaries. This one gave them a nose buster! A mystery scent was placed under clay pot and BoomBoom was racking his nose for what it was!

 For year nine, willow is given. Scents were placed in a willow basket and Frank took in the scents of the branches. While, Tika enjoyed it so much she wanted to take the basket with her!

 

And, lastly, for 10 it's gifts of tin or aluminum. For this, we created aluminum pom poms and Patsy is really getting her nose in there to sniff and move the poms around. 

 Don't forget! Enrichment isn't just for shelter pets, it's great for your owned animals as well. Click here to check out some of our favorite enrichment games that you can do with your pets and with things you most likely have at a home!