Animals pat life

In light of the Halloween season, Animal Friends is again providing some not-so-spooky enrichment for its shelter residents based on this ghoulish holiday. Our eerily creative Animal Enrichment Specialist, Suzanne Denk, cooked up a “Halloween Enriched Environment Trail” for our shelter dogs this past weekend! The first stop on the trail was a pool of leaves, with hidden tasty treats, requiring dogs to use their noses to find them. Another scent game included sealed boxes with holes to tempt canine noses. Fresh hay, herbs and apple cinnamon air fresheners were hidden inside the boxes. Spooky hanging obstacles (pool noodles) were used as a confidence builder for our shyer shelter residents (you can also stick treats in the hollow end of the pool noodle to entice shy dogs to approach). Many made a quick stop at the festive Jack-o-Lantern duck pond and then it was on to the final stop of the trail – The Magic Potion Cheese Tree. Treats were stuck to the tree with a bit of cheese for the do...

  By: Suzanne Denk, Animal Enrichment Specialist Remember paper bag pumpkins from preschool?   A brown lunch bag filled with hay provides an enriching way to provide a rabbit with some of his daily portion of hay.      Simply fill the lunch bag with hay.   A treat or a few pellets can be added. Twist the top of the bag into a pumpkin stem.   Wrap raffia around the stem.   Wrap the loose end of the raffia in as you wrap.   Leave loose ends as leafy tendrils! A Jack-O-Lantern smiling face is optional!