By: Claire Roberson, Communications Director
Finding homes for homeless animals is our mission at the SPCA Albrecht Center, but there’s so much more that goes into that to make an adoption successful. Besides the daily feeding, walking, vet care and companionship, enrichment is the biggest way we work to keep our shelter animals happy & healthy and feeling as normal as possible while in our care. When it comes to the basic necessities of animals, enrichment is often looked over, but just was humans need mental stimulation to thrive in addition to food, water, shelter and air, so do animals.
Enrichment is simply providing exercises/activities that stimulate an animal’s mind to relieve stress and build confidence. There are many ways to do this from specialized enrichment toys like stuffed, frozen Kong toys to food puzzle games and more. Walks and playtime are also great but are not always mentally stimulating. Ever wonder why your dog is still bored after you just went on a walk? Or why your kitty is meowing in your face after a lazy day?
At the SPCA Albrecht Center, our staff and volunteers work hard to provide enrichment activities for our dogs, but there’s one area where we are majorly lacking. When we built the newest SPCA Albrecht Center building on Willow Run Road, an agility field was created as a separate outdoor space (apart from the public Dog Park) for our shelter dogs to be trained, to play with other furry companions and to build confidence on agility equipment (massively important for shelter dogs).
However, nothing ever progressed past this initial stage, and the area is no longer suitable for our shelter dogs with a fence that isn’t reinforced, no running water for cleaning and for doggie pools, and the agility equipment is wearing despite attempted upkeep. Therefore, the only outdoor space to facilitate any outdoor activities with our dogs, besides their daily walks, is done in the “moon” – a semi-circle, fenced concrete area next to the Shelter. Unfortunately, this is still not ideal as it is lacking an enrichment activities, isn’t shaded and the concrete is not proper for playtime.
Thus, the Paws ‘n Play Recreation Yard project was born! The Paws ‘n Play Recreation Yard project is a complete overhaul of our current agility field. This project, predicted to be completed by early 2022, will address all of the issues of the current park, creating an enriching, safe space where our shelter dogs can build confidence and simply feel like dogs. The area will require tree service, a new water line, a shaded area, new fencing and gates, a concrete pad, new agility equipment and a shed to house landscaping supplies and toys for outdoor enrichment activities.
Of course, these changes come with a price and, as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, the SPCA Albrecht Center is looking to our community and businesses & individuals like you to help raise the funds to make this dream of our shelter dogs come true. The project was launched last week on the SPCA’s website and we need your help to spread the word and help raise funds for this project! Every cent is a massive step towards our goal and there’s even a business/individual sponsorship program for those interested in giving to specific Recreation Yard needs.
A mockup of the new agility field (illustration to come), our goal, more information & an online donation form can be found at: www.letlovelive.org/how-to-help/pawsnplay.
This is a big project that is only possible thanks to you! We thank our supporters for never letting a day go by where our animals don’t feel forgotten and loved. And, a special thanks to a group of our amazing volunteers for recognizing this need and putting this program together for our adoptable shelter dogs, who just want to feel like dogs while they wait for their forever homes.
An Aiken native and self-proclaimed cat lady, Claire Roberson is the SPCA Albrecht Center’s Communications Director, working in marketing, grant writing and media correspondence. She attended College of Charleston, where she graduated with a degree in Nonprofit Business and interned with Charleston Animal Society, the leader in No-Kill South Carolina. When not working, you can find Claire hanging out with her 18-pound Maine Coon mix, Anakin.
The SPCA Albrecht Center for Animal Welfare is a private, nonprofit, no kill animal shelter in Aiken, SC. The SPCA also operates a local Thrift Store (“Where Shopping Saves Lives”), a public, affordable Veterinary Care Center & a Dog Park. It is our mission to improve the lives of companion animals by rehoming abused, abandoned, and neglected pets while fighting for their well-being through vigorous legislative efforts, humane education, and by offering affordable veterinary care for all.
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