Annual Report 2022 May 2023 - Flipbook - Page 13
Volunteers
from Park Place
Dealerships
preparing the
Sensory Garden.
Strengthening our Operations
A Sensory Delight for Dogs
A Sensory Garden for dogs. Something you don’t see or think
about every day. But thanks to the generosity of Park Place
Dealerships and the ingenuity of our staff, SPCA of Texas has a
remarkable new location for our animals to enjoy.
The brightly colored tire tunnels, climbing table shapes, sand
pit, planters with pet-safe plants and other agility obstacles
were built over two days by volunteer staff members from Park
Place Dealerships, a longtime supporter of SPCA of Texas.
“
There is no better advocate for our four-legged
friends than the SPCA of Texas, and our team
members definitely wanted to do something
special for the dogs there, explained Park Place
”
Dealerships Managing Director Tony Carimi.
After working closely with SPCA of Texas Shelter Veterinary
Behaviorist Valarie V. Tynes, DVM, DACVB, DACAW and key staff,
the idea of building a Sensory Garden from scratch was born.
Dr. Tynes—one of fewer than 10 shelter vets in the US who has
board certifications in both behavior and animal welfare—noted
that a Sensory Garden is important in the shelter setting for
several reasons.
“The Garden encourages dogs to interact with their surroundings
and the agility obstacles relieve stress for overactive dogs as they
await a loving, forever home,” she said. “The Sensory Garden’s
different textures, scents and materials stimulate a dog’s brain,
activate his/her natural canine instincts and build confidence
as well as provide mental and physical challenges for our
shelter pets.”
During two days in November, dozens of Park Place employees
arrived at the SPCA of Texas ready to dig, paint, haul rocks, and
do just about anything necessary to create the coolest Sensory
Garden any dog could experience. With each element planned in
advance, the team quickly constructed the new canine area.
“We use the Sensory Garden to do behavior modification for
high arousal, jumpy, mouthy dogs,” shared Behavior Manager,
Rebecca Woodward. “Essentially, the garden enables us to
create a completely new program for these dogs, helping the
high arousal dogs to decompress and get adopted more quickly
than before,” Woodward added.
