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On September 25th, 26th and 27th I spent all day with Aimee Sadler and her son Kodi at the Dogs Playing for Life Workshop in Santa Maria, learning how to run playgroups for shelter dogs.
Here is a video of one of the playgroups
A video taken at the end of the day of lower energy dogs. All of these dogs made amazing progress and we are so excited to improve the lives of our dogs through interactions and positive experiences like these.
These are largely unsocialized dogs, living in kennels, benefitting tremendously by these playgroups! After the playgroups the dogs are calmer, happier, quieter and more adoptable.
The first day began with a presentation by Aimee and Kodi Sadler.
We then went outside and they began to choose dogs for playgroups, guided by information provided by staff and volunteers of the Santa Maria Shelter.
This is a dog before it goes into a playgroup. A lot of pent up energy!
A dog in it's kennel at the shelter.
These dogs are meeting at the fence to help determine if they are a playgroup match, or not.
Dogs greet each other after being allowed into the playgroup.
Here is the result: Happy, playing dogs, as the pent up energy dissipates.
A volunteer runs a playgroup for smaller dogs.
Even Balto, a blind dog, got to participate in the playgroups!
Smaller dogs playgroup.
Ronit Corry and Aimee Sadler
Aimee Sadler, Ronit Corry, Kodi Sadler
Dogs Playing For Life workshop participants September 2015
The wonderful photos below are courtesy of Erin Morales, CAPA Volunteer, who exclusively photographs to help Santa Barbara County Animal Services' dogs find homes. You can see adoptable dogs here.
Balto the blind dog socializes in a playgroup
Balto, the blind dog, interacting with other dogs.
May the dogs play on...
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- Dogs Playing for Life. On 9/15/15 Ronit spent the day at C.A.R.L. a dog shelter in Santa Paula. The workshop was taught by Aimee Sadler and her son Kodi Sadler. Aimee is the founder of Dogs Playing for Life. This is a wonderful idea she came up with while she worked at a shelter. She created playgroups with combinations of dogs in order to exercise and socialize them, a better use of her time than individual walks.
- Aimee and Kodi travel the country teaching shelters how to incorporate their dogs into playgroups, which helps the dogs become calmer, happier and better socialized. This makes them more adoptable!
- Aimee noticed that her training was more effective after dogs had participated in playgroups.
Another benefit is that the shelter volunteers and staff get to really know the dogs and they are able to describe and match them to potential adopters.
- This is the most hopeful plan I have seen to alleviate suffering for shelter dogs living in institutional cages! Heartwarming!
I found it to be a beautiful and informative day, very inspiring.
I intend to take Aimee's 3 day course coming up in Santa Maria next week.