Humane Society of Northeast Georgia: Play Group Training Grant Report
How did this grant help your organization and the pets in your care?
In the first six months of 2017, the Humane Society of Northeast Georgia held a crowdfunding campaign to raise monies to build a brand new outdoor play area for our rescued canines. Our campaign was successful, and the Bark Park opened in June. One of our considerations when we were building the Bark Park was building yards large enough to host playgroups, and we spoke about this opportunity during the fundraising process. I was familiar with Dogs Playing for Life and had already been in contact with them about training opportunities for our team, so when the mentorship opportunity became available, it was like a blessing for us! We applied, were accepted, and in early November, our Adoption Center manager, Yesenia, went to Austin Pets Alive! to train. She came back full of knowledge, and has been working out protocols and training schedules for playgroups.
Last week, we had our first “test run” playgroup with two adult dogs and it went perfectly! We are so excited for this new enrichment opportunity for the rescues in our care and cannot wait to see the impact it will have on their lives while with us as well as their adoptability. We are very grateful to the Petfinder Foundation for this opportunity to learn best practices for playgroups so that we can implement them safely and effectively. We hope to be able to have a future opportunity to send another team member to train as our program grows.
How many pets did this grant help?
100
Please provide a story of one or more specific pets this grant helped.
This summer, HSNEGA was awarded the Dogs Playing for Life (DPLF) Mentorship Program Grant by the Petfinder Foundation! Thanks to this grant, Yesenia, HSNEGA’s Adoption Center Coordinator (far right, standing), was able to attend this program in Austin, Texas, this past week. “I will always be tremendously grateful for the opportunity to work with the DPFL team. They do amazing work and their passion is truly admirable,” Yesenia says. “I look forward to starting playgroups with our dogs and seeing them transform into more stress-free, happier dogs.” HSNEGA cannot wait to hear and implement all of the wonderful things Yesenia learned while attending this mentorship program! Thank you again to the Petfinder Foundation and DPFL for this “paw-some” opportunity!
