Shelter life is B-U-S-Y! We get it. It seems impossible to add another item to your daily to-do list. Take heart! Enrichment can be simple, fast, and inexpensive. Remember, even the smallest changes make a big difference.

Source: Marcia Tiersky for Animal Farm Foundation

Make the commitment to your dogs. Then reach out for support. You’ll find volunteers who want to do hands-on work, donors who will purchase items from your wish lists, and foster homes who will give dogs a temporary break.

But you don’t even need donors to purchase items for you. You have plenty of enrichment tools at your fingertips!

Here are three simple ideas for keeping the dogs in your care so happy they’ll want to cover you with kisses:

BUSY BUCKETS:

Fill an empty bucket or small pail with things to do, smell, and taste –  even the dog’s meal. Pack each item very tightly so that it will be challenging for the dog to remove them. Some ideas for bucket items: a stuffed Kong, a beef-broth soaked rag, a ball, a Nylabone, a water bottle or PVC pipe with a few treats, etc…

BUSY BOXES: 

Collect empty toilet paper rolls, cereal boxes, pasta boxes and other old boxes and layer them one inside the other. In between each box, place tasty treats and kibble. Some dogs really enjoy shredding items in their kennels.  Busy boxes are a cheap and easy enrichment tool that your volunteers can create and your dogs can enjoy.

ICE TREATS: You can make these in large buckets or old milk jugs that have been cut in half, cups, ice cube trays, Dixie cups, or other containers. Choose a size that suits your dogs’ needs. Depending on the size you choose, you can use this tool to feed an individual meal or even an entire day’s food, so keep portions in mind.

Need more tips? We’ve got ’em!