Bringing Comfort & Joy to Shelter Dogs: The Shelter C.A.R.E. Project

Every dog deserves a chance to feel safe, loved, and enriched—especially those waiting for their forever homes in shelters. Life in a shelter can be overwhelming for dogs, leading to stress, anxiety, and even behavioral decline. That’s where the Shelter C.A.R.E. Project (Cognitive Activities for Relief and Enrichment) comes in.

Our goal? To ensure that every dog at the Humane Society of Greater Niagara (HSGN) experiences mental and physical enrichment through engaging activities that reduce stress and improve overall well-being. Here’s how we’re making it happen—and how you can help!

Why Enrichment Matters for Shelter Dogs

Shelter environments, while necessary for temporary housing, can be loud, unpredictable, and stressful for dogs. Without proper mental stimulation, dogs can develop anxiety, frustration, and even depression. This not only affects their happiness but can also make it harder for them to find homes.

Enrichment helps by:

✅ Reducing stress and anxiety

✅ Preventing boredom-related behaviors

✅ Encouraging relaxation and mental engagement

✅ Helping dogs show their true personalities to potential adopters

By providing cognitive and physical activities—like durable chew toys, stuffed enrichment toys, scent work, and even field trips —we’re aiming to make a real difference in the lives of shelter dogs.

Overcoming Barriers to Enrichment

While the benefits of enrichment are clear, implementing it in a shelter setting comes with challenges. Some key barriers we’ve worked to overcome include:

🚧 Limited Storage Space: Many shelters don’t have room for extra supplies, making it difficult to store large quantities of toys, treats, or enrichment tools. We’ve worked around this by organizing a rotating supply system within the homes of C.A.R.E Project volunteers. We also work to keep donations manageable in size but high in impact.

🚧 No Extra Freezer for Prepped Enrichment: Since freezing stuffed toys prolongs engagement time (which is valuable in a shelter setting as sessions can be extremely limited), a lack of freezer space is a common issue. We’ve helped by preparing enrichment at home and delivering it weekly, ensuring dogs still benefit without requiring extra storage from the shelter.

🚧 Time Constraints for Staff & Volunteers: With so many daily tasks, enrichment can easily become a low priority—not due to lack of care, but because shelters must prioritize feeding, cleaning, and medical needs first. To help, we’ve stepped in to take on the prep, delivery, and collection of enrichment items, making it as easy as possible for shelter staff to implement. This way, C.A.R.E volunteers can also ensure dogs are engaging in enrichment activities safely, while also helping to step in during potential scenarios that might lead to canine frustration.

How the Shelter C.A.R.E. Project Works

Our program is designed to be simple yet effective. Each week, we prepare and deliver a variety of enrichment tools to the shelter dogs at HSGN. Here’s what goes into making it work:

🔹 Stuffed Enrichment Toys & Treat Dispensers: 

We fill Kongs, Toppls, and other food-based enrichment items with high-quality wet food, treats, and kibble, then freeze them for longer-lasting engagement.

🔹 Safe & Durable Chew Toys: Chewing helps dogs relieve stress and expend energy in a healthy way. We want to provide strong, shelter-safe chews to keep them occupied and happy.

🔹 A Thoughtful Rotation System: To ensure fairness and hygiene, enrichment items are rotated weekly, cleaned thoroughly, and prepared for reuse. This guarantees that every dog gets to experience high-quality enrichment consistently.

🔹 Dedicated Shelter C.A.R.E. Volunteers: Volunteers play a crucial role by staying present during enrichment sessions to monitor safety, swap out toys if a dog is getting frustrated, and assist with cleanup. Their dedication ensures that each session is as beneficial and stress-free as possible for the dogs.

What’s Next? Future Plans for the C.A.R.E. Project

We’re always looking for ways to expand and improve the program. Some future initiatives include:

🎵 Music Therapy: Studies show that calming music can reduce anxiety in shelter dogs, helping them relax in noisy environments.

🌿 Scents for the Kennels: Introducing natural scents like lavender and chamomile can have soothing effects, making the shelter feel less stressful.

🛍 Busy Bags: Simple, sustainable enrichment made from recycled paper bags filled with crinkled paper and treats to engage dogs in a fun, scent-driven activity.

How You Can Help

Want to get involved? Here’s how you can make a difference:

🐶 Donate: Enrichment toys, durable chews, wet food, and treats are always needed. Feel free to check out our Amazon Wishlist for items that we're currently in need of!

🐶 Sponsor a Dog: Help fund enrichment for a long-term shelter resident through our CLEO Fund.

🐶 Spread the Word: Share our mission on social media to encourage more support.

Our Amazing Supporters

This program wouldn’t be possible without the generosity of our community and incredible sponsors:

🌟 Earth Rated – Donated 48 enrichment toys & 20 blankets, as well as $1000 to help us sustain the program.

🌟 PetKind – Donated a month's worth of wet dog food and treats for stuffing enrichment toys

🌟 Oh My Dogness – Donated novel treats to make enrichment extra special

🌟 YOU - Our @Bindisbucketlist Community - You all came together to get this initiative off the ground, and sent in a whopping 35 Kong toys to help us provide novel opportunities for these dogs.

These contributions help us continue to bring comfort, fun, and relaxation to dogs who need it most. We cannot stress this enough - you're all incredible, and we couldn't do this without you!

The Shelter C.A.R.E. Project is proof that small changes can make a big difference. By providing consistent, thoughtful enrichment, we’re not just keeping shelter dogs entertained—we’re improving their quality of life and setting them up for success in their future homes.

Join us in making every shelter dog’s stay a little brighter. 🐾

FOR ORGANIZATIONS LOOKING FOR MORE IN DEPTH INFORMATION ON HOW WE IMPLEMENTED AND PLANNED TO MAINTAIN THIS PROJECT, CHECK OUT OUR FREE IN-DEPTH GOOGLE DOC, HERE (Best viewed on a PC).